ST CRUZ: Most markets across Goa are in pitiable condition. The St Cruz market is no exception. The market, which is maybe over 60 years old, is in dire straits, to say the least.
Shoppers and vendors both complain of the terrible stench which pervades the tiny and congested market, which is situated just below the St Cruz Panchayat Ghar. The market is stinking and has no toilets, posing great difficulty, especially for women vendors.
The fish and vegetable vendors cannot be accommodated in the congested market. Hence many local vendors are forced to sit by the roadside and sell fruits and vegetables.
The location of the market itself is bad. Can you imagine that a road actually passes through the market? The road may be closed during market hours, so there is no place for parking. The panchayat has not taken any initiative to build a new market, though there is talk of land being acquired.
A male flower vendor narrated, “I have been selling flowers in this market for 50 years. First there was a small shed. It was expanded about 20 years ago. The market is congested. They are saying they are building a new market for the last 10 years, but nothing has happened. When it rains heavily the rain blows into the shed with the wind.”
Mukundraj Mudras, a resident of St Cruz said, “The problems of the St Cruz market are decades old. Ever since the population of the village started growing over the last 20 years, the market has been inadequate. There are no facilities, such as parking and toilet. There are no facilities for the differently-abled. And there are no facilities for the vendors. The Panchayat only collects sopo (sitting fee) and has no foresight to do long term planning.”
“Many sarpanchas and panchas have been elected, they know the problems, but did nothing about them. During the rains the place stinks. People used to use this market since there is a huge parking problem at the Panjim market. This is the only place to shop, now it is a major problem,” Mudras disclosed.
Mariano Araujo, former St Cruz sarpanch acknowledged, “We could not build a new market because there is a problem of land acquisition. The market should be built there itself, there is no other place. The present market is very old and people face a lot of problems. There is severe traffic congestion, especially since schools have started. There is no traffic police to direct the traffic. The local MLA should solve the problem. The panchayat does not want to do anything. They don’t want to approach the MLA. There are no facilities for the vendors.”
“Secondly, during Covid pandemic people were selling fish by the roadside. This still continues. This has to stop. The panchayat has to take action against this. The panchayat has to find a big open space and build a new market. But the land prices are such that the panchayat cannot afford the market rates. The present panchayat ghar and market fall in khazan land. Though the panchayat had dumped a few trucks of mud in the kazan land to build a new market, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has told them to remove it,” Araujo said.
