Goemkarponn desk
VASCO: Joint meeting with MMC and Vasco fish market vendors turned futile as the fish vendors continued to refuse from shifting to temporary shed, demanding to totally stop wholesalers from selling fish.
Vasco Fishmarket president Caridade Pereira said that MMC should first stop the wholesalers from selling fish outside, and then MMC should come to fish vendors for shifting them to new temporary sheds.
“Otherwise, fish vendwon’twont shift to temporary sheds,” he said.
Another fisherwoman said that the fish vendors erected the fish shed many years ago, and now they are facing problems. MMC should listen to their demands.
She further said they are not allowing MMC to take over the fish market shed for demolishing.
Olencio Simoes of Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott said that fish vendors have been selling fish in the fish market shed for more than thirty years. “Then how can one say that this fish market shed is not notified?” he asked.
He said it is good that MMC has stopped wholesalers from selling fish illegally.
“Likewise, MMC should give strong assurance to the fish vendors that they will be accommodated in the new few market once it is built,” he says.
Fr. Micheal Fernandes, the legal advisor of the fish vendors, told the media that MMC has taken some steps to stop wholesalers from selling fish to some extent, but completely it has not succeeded.
He further said that fish vendors will shift to temporary sheds, given that the wholesalers will be completely stopped from selling fish outside.
Custodio Dsouza, the fisherman, said that fish vendors were neither happy nor agreed with the MMC’s request to shift into a temporary market shed when the wholesalers sell fish outside.
Fisherwomen and vendors will develop confidence in MMC if the wholesalers seized the goods and strict action is taken on them, but we were told by the Chief Officer that he cannot do so. “We are being given time until Tuesday to discuss and decide on the shifting to new temporary shed by MMC. We will convey our decision on that day to MMC,” Custodio said.
MMC chairperson Damodar Kaskar said a joint meeting in which MMC requested fish vendors to shift to a temporary shed. Fish vendors problems were solved by MMC. Vendors were given vendors card, wholesalers were stopped from selling fish outside, he said.
Kaskar also said that the fish vendors have asked for time till Tuesday to shift to a temporary shed. The meeting’s outcome wasn’t satisfactory.
“We will try to discuss and sort out this matter though fish vendors have asked from MMC to give the assurances by making agreement, it cannot be done as per law” Kaskar added.
