All eyes are focused on a crucial meeting called by the Margao Municipal Council as per the High Court directions to put in place a mechanism to address the various issues plaguing the SGPDA wholesale fish market and the market road. This is the first time that the MMC has called for a meeting of the various stakeholders, including the SGPDA, district Collector, Police, traffic, representatives of the fish traders Association, ramponkars, boatcars etc in a bid to address the issues and work out a mechanism with the High Court closely monitoring waste disposal and general cleanliness of the market, besides parking by the fish transporting trucks.
The meeting has assumed significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the next hearing in the High Court is scheduled early next week and the MMC and the SGPDA are mandated to file status report and submit the action plan to bring a turnaround in the market and its surroundings.
Margao Municipal Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar informed that the meeting will discuss and decide on unauthorised business activity carried out by various Retail fish vendors in the South Goa Planning and Development Authority plot area in front of wholesale fish market. He said the meeting will also discuss and decide on day-to-day cleanliness, segregation of solid waste, disposal of solid waste and thermacol etc. in the wholesale fish market.
The installation of CCTV camera by South Goa Planning and Development Authority at the market area where fish selling activity is going on is also mentioned on the agenda. Another burning issue which will come up for deliberation if the issue of parking of tempo trucks carrying wholesale fish on both side of road in front of wholesale fish market causing traffic issues. These issues also assume significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the High Court has called for no parking on the wholesale fish market road after business activity at the wholesale market.
This issue is significant for the reason that both the SGPDA and the MMC had been complaining over the lack of support from the police and the district Collectorate for enforcing no parking along the wholesale fish market after business hours. Given that the leachate and waste water generated in the wholesale fish market finds its way in the adjoining river Sal, the meeting will also discuss and decide on operation of ETP by the SGPDA. Both the MMC Chief Sankhwalkar and the SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali reviewed the situation on Tuesday ahead of the meeting.