Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: Stating the council would take up the demands of the fisherwomen to waive off a certain amount of rental, CMC Chairperson Ramakant Naikgaunkar asked the fisherwomen to carry their trade only through the municipal fish market and not outside the municipal market.
“The fish market will not be used if the fish-selling vendors trade outside the market. Fish-selling Women should compulsorily sell fish only in the municipal fish market. We are constructing a new fish market with all the amenities in Chaudi. The Pagi and Gabit community’s fish sellers should sell fish only inside the market. That is of prime and utmost importance.’ CMC Chairperson Ramakant Naikgaunkar told both the fish-selling community groups called on the Chairperson on Thursday.
In Canacona, women belonging to both the ‘Pagi’ and ‘Gabit’ communities are engaged in selling fish, and as women of one community group sell fish outside the fish market, the women of other community groups also sit outside and sell the fish outside the fish-market. And this affects the business of all other women who continue to sit in the fish market and sell fish.
Finding both the erring groups, the CMC chairperson invited women from both groups for discussion and to find a solution to the municipal office on Thursday.
CMC Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar, CMC Dy. Chairperson Narcisco Fernandes and the three councillors belonging to the Pagi community Gandesh Madgaonkar, Amrita Pagi and Laxuman Pagi, were present for the discussion.
The fish-selling women were told clearly that the municipality would not tolerate illegality whatsoever and told Gabit and Pagi that fish-selling women should sit inside the market and sell fish. They also informed that the wholesale fish sellers should also sell fish wholesale within the market. ‘Otherwise, action will be taken against both the groups women for defying or ignoring the direction’, Naigaunkar told the woman bluntly and further informed that the fish vendors affiliated to Fish-market to sell fish has not paid rent of the municipality. ‘no one paid any municipal rent for the last few years. You should pay the municipal rent without delay”.
The fish-selling women pleaded to waive the rent, ‘We could not pay the rent as there was no business during the Corona period.
CMC, particularly the chairperson and councillors, should wave-off this rent or at least give us some exemption, pleaded a women representative.
At this, CMC Chairperson Naigaunkar informed that’ I will present this proposal in the next council meeting and see if a solution can be found to such a demand’. Naikgaunkar also informed the fish-selling women that there are various schemes by the Fisheries Department and a camp will be held soon with the officers of the Fisheries Department for the benefit of the fishermen.
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