TEAM HERALD
PONDA: Tense moments prevailed in the Ponda market area on Friday as vendors from the footpath were finally evicted following demands from protesting vendors of the market shed.
Protests by the market vendors for the third successive day finally bore fruit when local authorities removed the footpath vendors from the market area.
Ponda Municipal Council Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes was involved in intense negotiations as the protesting market vendors led by Market Shed Vendors Association leader Kishore Mamlekar refused to withdraw their protest till the footpath vendors were evicted from the area.
Fernandes then directed the PMC municipal inspectors, supervisor and other staff to remove all encroachments and vendors from the footpaths with the help of police protection. Tension prevailed when some footpath vendors tried to continue activities on the footpath, but the market vendors summoned the police and the footpaths were later cleared.
“These footpath vendors are doing illegal business on parking spaces and footpaths. Besides, they have also been depriving legitimate market vendors of their livelihood. Hence, we decided to launch an agitation to have them evicted. Now, people will be in a position to park their vehicles in open spaces and walk freely,” Mamlekar said.
Meanwhile, the five MGP-backed opposition councillors have welcomed the move.
“These footpath vendors were paying Sopo tax to the contractor, but strangely, the Sopo contractor did not deposit the Sopo installment with the PMC,” Councillor Shivanand Sawant said.
