Team Herald
CANACONA: With no protection wall and security guard at night, there is a feeling of insecurity among the vendors at the new market complex at Chaudi as they complain of goods being stolen on a daily basis resulting in heavy losses to them.
The vegetable and fruit vendors, who have been shifted to the new market complex, have complained that their goods are being stolen everyday causing heavy losses to them and have attributed the same to lack of a security guard and the absence of a protection wall.
Social worker Divakar Bhagat accused the authorities of total negligence to shift the said vendors in new market, without any security and without a proper approach road. He further said the approach road is full of potholes and only a few locals visit the new market.
Bhagat has assured the vendors that he would personally take up the issue with the local MLA and Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar.
According to municipal market inspector Yesso Desai, around 35 vendors have finally occupied the GSUDA constructed vegetable market complex at Chaudi, after Canacona Municipal Council allotted them the spaces recently.
The chief officer said that the vegetable, fruit and flower vendors have occupied the spaces on the spacious ground floor of the two-storey complex constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore. CMC chairperson Prarthana Gaonkar has agreed to allot more spaces to roadside vendors in the new market complex.
Bhagat said the vendors registered with the council are unhappy that many roadside vendors are still seen carrying out their trade, though the CMC has agreed to accommodate them in the new market complex.
Soccorro Fernandes, Principal of Vividha Commercial, Chaudi, has blamed the CMC staff for failing to initiate action against the street vendors despite receiving several complaints from the public against these vendors for blocking the market entrance and for conducting their business along the roadside.
The market complex was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Francisco D’Souza on September 23, 2015 but is not fully occupied for reasons best known to CMC.
