Team Herald
BICHOLIM: Mayem villagers and panchayat have urged the government and the local MLA to allot them shops at the renovated Mayem lake which is likely to be inaugurated soon.
Addressing a press conference at the lake, sarpanch Vijay Pole said that ex-MLA Anant Shet had promised the residents that they would be given shops at the new venue and so the government should abide by the promise.
Earlier, there were 20 shops by the road side at Mayem and when the tourists visited the lake they used to have a good business. With the renovation of the lake, the entrance was shifted to the other side and the shopkeepers now feel that they have been sidelined.
“If we do our business on the main road we would be totally sidelined and no one will come to the area where we have our shops,” a shopkeeper said.
“When tourists were coming to this lake about 100 families were dependent on this lake for survival. We were promised that we would be given shops at the entrance of the lake and we demand with the MLA to abide by the promise,” said another.
“The beautification of the lake has been completed and we demand that the shopkeepers should be given their rights,” panch Kunda Mandrekar said adding, “Locals should get jobs and other opportunities at the lake so that they can get their rights.”
“After I became the sarpanch, the panchayat got an application demanding shops for the locals. I immediately took steps and will follow up the issue with the authorities,” Pole said.
“The first phase of the project is over and we demand that the shopkeepers should be given their shops else we would be forced to agitate on the day of inauguration” Pole said.
