MARGAO: The stalemate on the wholesale fish market levy collection continues in Margao. The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) urged by the Wholesale Fish Market Traders Association (WFMTA) to handover the letter given to the levy collection contractor for the work of collection of charges from fish vehicles.
The SGPDA member secretary has maintained that the levy collection will continue through the contractor. However, the traders are not willing to pay the charges to the contractor and on Wednesday sent a cheque to SGPDA for the payment of the charges.
On Wednesday wholesale fish traders did not remove their vehicles from the market yard in protest of contractor Milagres Fernandes, who they claim is not authorised to undertake the work. WFMTA president Maulana Ibrahim told the member secretary that they won’t pay the contractor until SGPDA gives in writing that the 2019 letter given to Fernandes continues to give him the authority to collect levy charges.
Some fish sellers who also gathered at the SGPDA office complained that there is rampant retail trade going on at the SGPDA market yard.
SGPDA member Vertika Sagur maintained that she cannot comment on the issue but instead said that the levy collection contractor is authorised to collect the charges.
SGPDA levy collection contractor Milagres Fernandes has alleged that the wholesale fish traders are politically motivated by their ‘godfather’ in making allegations against him. Fernandes has been accused by the wholesale traders of being unauthorised to collect the charges.
