Come Diwali, Christmas or Ganesh Chaturthi, there is no end to the troubles of the market vendors. Just as the problem of exhibition-cum-sale was subsiding, a new problem has now cropped up for the vendors. This time it is the loss of business caused due to the street sellers selling beyond the market areas. Hundreds of vendors are seen occupying the streets of markets all day round causing not only traffic chaos but also allegedly selling their good illegally.
Angered market vendors, along with Gandhi Market vendors committee leader Babu Azgaonkar met the Chairperson warning the MMC to clear the vendors or face backlash from the entire market. In their discussion the women in the market said, “The vendors on the roadside who are causing loss to our business are also the people who are responsible for the loss and recession of the Margao market,” said a woman.
The problem of vendors sitting on roadsides and footpaths is serious as the people from entire Margao and other areas that come to shop are inconvenienced due to constant traffic jams and inability to find place to walk. Herald, in one of its Margao pages, has already exposed how the MMC market supervisors have been ignoring the encroachments. As the festive season is one occasion for the shopkeepers to make extra business, they are angry because the MC has not yet found a solution to this problem.
Babu Azgaonkar, who represented the vendors of Margao Market, said, “We have been fighting against these vendors sitting on footpaths and roadside for quite some time now. The Chairperson had initially taken remedial steps to clear these vendors, after an allegation against MMC that someone was acting as ‘an agent and collecting hafta’ for the MMC,” said Babu. “Today by god’s grace there are three markets in Margao which are SGPDA, New Market and the Gandhi Market. We get all the goods and take care of the services in all these markets and in fact due to the competition people get benefits of lower price,” Babu informed. “But outsiders come to market area and do business on road sides and footpaths. If the Chairperson fails to stop this immediately we will shut down the market and pressurise the MMC to act,” warned Babu. “The people are not able to walk on roads nowadays. Take action against any illegalities immediately and allow legal registered vendors to do good business,” demanded Azgaonkar. “This is the work of the MMA inspectors. If action is not forthcoming then the fears of ‘hafta being accepted by the Council may be true,” alleged Azgaonkar. The Chairperson of MMC, Babita Angle, said, “The vendors have demanded to continue the anti-encroachment drive of the past and claim that it has helped in free movement of people,” she said. “I have been insisting to clear the vendors from the Market square and after discussions with Market Inspectors it has been decided to hire daily wage workers to take care of the situation. The Chief Office has promised to give a batch of 10 workers to clear these vendors encroachment,” said Babita. She informed that the vendors have been complaining that the outsiders from Gaodongorim, Khandepar and other villages are doing business in the city and this has been affecting the businesses of old vendors. “The locals are affected by that and I feel that it has to be stopped as it is a hindrance to traffic and also illegal,” said Babita.When asked why the vendors can’t be permanently removed and evicted Babita said, “Under the National Urban Livelihood Policy if it is his sole bread winning business we have to allow it. However, putting them in a better place for business is being considered and a vending committee will be notified soon which will look after the same. It is our sincere effort to find vending zones and we will finalise this matter soon,” she said. Commenting on the recovery of taxes, she said, “We don’t get any revenue from the market and now we need to sit down and think seriously about it,” she said.
