Margao Municipal Chief Officer Rohit Kadam has a task at hand – how to clear the Margao wholesale fish market road of illegal vendors selling fish, vegetables, fruits and food and household items.
If the Margao Municipal inspectors went to the town tom-tomming that they have finally cracked a whip against the illegal vendors, Sunday saw the wholesale fish market road bustling with activities, with vendors having a field day selling items, right from fish to vegetables and fruits etc.
There was no sign of any municipal worker along the road to stop the illegal vendors and hawkers from doing business.
It was only after South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) official Paul Gomes complained to the two market inspectors, Santu and Shekar, that a couple of MMC workers descended on the road after 9.30 am.
Incidentally, Pramod Sawant during his first stint as Chief Minister had directed then Margao Municipal Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar to ensure that the wholesale fish market road is free from illegal vendors and business.
The CM had issued the instructions after he saw for himself vendors and hawkers all along the road during his visit to the wholesale fish market.
Even traffic officials now say that it is essential that the wholesale fish market road is kept free from any illegal vendors and hawkers, more so with the part-commissioning of the Western bypass from Verna to Nuvem, bringing all heavy traffic on the NH 66 to Margao via the wholesale fish market road.
Sources demanded to know what has prevented the Chief Officer from cracking a whip against the illegal vendors along the wholesale fish market road when he got the illegal vending in front of the South Goa Comunidade stopped after assuming office for over a month ago.
“The entire wholesale fish market road, right from the La Grace hotel to the Seraulim bypass is bustling with illegal hawkers and vendors. The Margao municipality can easily crack a whip against the activity by deploying its army of workers with police protection, but in vain,” remarked a PDA official.
