The Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) temporary fruit and vegetable market is very congested and has no safety measures in place, with several sheds connected to each other and further extended by encroachers who have been using plastic covers at several places for the past nine years.
In the event of a fire the market will, in all probability, be destroyed before it can be saved, said a concerned source.
The threat worsens in the absence of periodic fire audits by authorities and PMC and urgent attention is needed, especially after the major fire at KTC Bus Stand Panjim.
There are no fire hydrants at this market and the existing ones are installed at a distance, near the New Market Complex Building.
About eight years ago the old market sheds were demolished to construct a New Market Complex, and the old market vendors were shifted to temporary built sheds for doing temporary business till the New Market Complex would be ready.
Five years has passed since the new market complex building was inaugurated. However, these vendors are reluctant to shift to the new premises claiming that they would not get business in the New Complex as it is not suitable to attract customers. Taking this as an excuse the vendors continue doing business in temporary market with sheds where other vendors have encroached and extended the market area by using even the passages meant for visitors to walk freely.
Several vendors have even got electrical connections with the wires hanging dangerously in the open. In case of a short circuit there will be no chance to save this market as there is no access for fire vehicles to reach the spot.
Around 6-7 years ago the old Market was almost gutted in fire but no lesson had been learnt from the incident.
Dealing in a diverse range of items, the temporary markets accommodate over 300 vendors selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, grocery and various domestic items with the vendors occupying every available space.
Traders have encroached upon passages and hardly any shop is equipped with firefighting equipment or fire extinguishers. What’s worse is that shopkeepers extend their shops on to the main passages leaving little space for public or customers to move freely. The municipality, a source said, should ensure that all encroachments on passages are cleared so that, in case of a disaster, the public can safely exit without causing a stampede.
Sources in the fire services said that a fire safety audit of few public buildings was conducted some years back, and a review report submitted to the authorities outlining recommendations to enhance fire safety management procedures. Following the guidelines, many public and private building authorities, including schools, had adopted safety measures but many are yet to take prevention steps.
The officials of the fire and emergency services acknowledge that the two markets are highly prone to fire hazards, and no serious measures have been taken by PMC to prevent fire incidents.
“The Fire Department, along with concerned PMC Officials, will inspect the area and recommend suitable measures for the Ponda Market,” said Sushil Morjakar, a fire official at the Ponda Fire Station.
