Team Goemkarponn
VASCO: Repair and reconstruction work at the fire-ravaged Vasco Sunday Market will begin only after the administration receives the structural stability report, Vasco MLA Krishna Daji Salkar has said, stressing that public safety will not be compromised.
Salkar said the administration was awaiting the structural assessment of the fire-affected market, following which a decision would be taken on whether the existing structure could be retained with necessary repairs or would require modifications.
He pointed out that the structure must be capable of safely bearing the combined load of around 100 vendors, 200 to 300 visitors at any given time, along with the goods and stocks stored by traders.
“We will get the stability report, after which we will decide how to go about with the market and where to accommodate the vendors. We do not want yet another tragedy, and taking any decision without assessing the structural capacity could be a big risk,” Salkar said.
He cautioned that accommodating vendors and visitors without first establishing the structural strength of the building could have disastrous consequences, particularly as parts of the market slab had been affected by the fire.
“If we accommodate around 100 vendors and another 200 to 300 people visit the market for shopping, the structure must be able to withstand that load, along with the stocks and goods of the traders. We need to understand whether the affected slab can safely bear such a load. If it collapses, it could lead to another major tragedy,” he said.
Salkar said that if the structural stability report gives a green signal, the administration could immediately take up the necessary repair and reconstruction work.
However, if the existing structure is found unsuitable to bear the required load, alternative arrangements would have to be worked out to accommodate all traders in the remaining available space within the market.
Assuring the affected vendors that their interests would be protected, Salkar said all traders had unanimously demanded that they be accommodated at their original locations and that the administration was working towards fulfilling their demand.
“One thing is certain: all traders have demanded that they be shifted back to their original places, and we will accommodate them there. There should be no doubts about that. We are working in that direction,” he said.
Salkar also urged the affected traders not to panic, assuring them that the administration was committed to restoring the market while ensuring the safety of vendors and the public.
