The SGPDA market shed in Usgao is in a precarious condition due to lack of maintenance. Every monsoon, the shopkeepers on the ground floor have to put up with leakages as the shed’s roof sheets are broken. Rods in the structure are exposed in several places, including one of the market’s pillars. The cement and steel of the RCC columns, beams and slabs are rusted and cracked. The vendors fear that the shed, which has been neglected since it was constructed 25 years ago, may collapse if the government does not take action.
The vendors had observed a market bandh last month to protest against the authorities’ negligence. One of them said, “We are putting our lives at risk in such a shed. SGPDA officials came here after the protest, but there is no action from them nor did they have any discussion with the vendors or panchayat.
Usgao panch member Ramnath Dangi stated that the market was not only for Usgao locals, but people from Valpoi, Dharbandora, and Mollem. He said, “This market meets the needs of around thirty-five thousand Usgao locals. Wednesday and Sunday are the days when several people visit. If the building collapses, there will be a tragedy. The government urgently needs to undertake maintenance or construct a new shed in the interest of the locals and vendors.
He continued, “Since 1992, the SGPDA collected SOPO for the first few years and then neglected it totally. People in the gram sabha always raise the issue. In 2007, when I was sarpanch, I sent a proposal to SGPDA to hand over the shed to the panchayat, but the SGPDA rejected it. The panchayat could carry out maintenance by collecting SOPO from the vendors. SGPDA demanded Rs 40 lakh to hand over the shed. The panchayat rejected their proposal.”
He added that the panchayat was still ready to take possession and look after the market, but the SGPDA was not interested, thus putting the vendors’ lives at risk.
Sudesh Naik, who runs a hotel on the market’s ground floor, said that the government spent crores of rupees on infrastructure, but did not want to spend a few lakhs on a shed. Water seeped into his hotel when the rains hit and now he is worried because customers do not want to enter his hotel. He said he had gone to the first floor to clear the accumulated water, but it was not possible to do so every time it rained.
Shop owner Dyaneshwar Naik added that the leakages had spoilt many goods and urged the government to at least replace the roof.
