MARGAO
Hawkers and vendors participating in the upcoming Purumentachem fest at the Old Market, Margao, on Friday flagged the Margao Municipal Council’s decision to effect an annual 10 per cent hike in stall fees.
Expressing their unhappiness over the annual hike in fees, representatives of the hawkers and vendors on Friday called on Margao Civic Chief Damu Shirodkar with a plea to roll back the fees.
They maintained that a day will come when traditional Goan hawkers will have to shut shop and stop their rich tradition of selling local items at feast fairs.
The hawkers pointed out that the Margao Municipality has been effecting a 10 per cent hike in stall fees every year. “Last year, we paid a fee of Rs 10,000 for a stall. This time, we have been told to pay a fee of Rs 11,000 considering the annual 10 per cent hike in fees. This is not acceptable to the hawkers,” members of the delegation told the Margao Municipal Chairperson.
Chairperson Shirodkar gave a patient hearing to the delegation, as he sounded sympathetic to the cause of the traditional hawkers. “The annual hike in stall fees has been incorporated by the office administration and not by the Council. We know that the feast fair gives a platform for traditional Goan sweet mart owners to showcase their traditional items and also offer them for sale. The Council is not in favour of the hike,” he said.
As the Civic Chief expressed his helplessness in giving relief to the hawkers, he directed them to approach Municipal Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar. The delegation tried to impress upon the Chief Officer that an annual hike in stall fees would make the entire activity uneconomical for traditional feast hawkers, as they pleaded for relief from the civic body.
The Chief Officer later discussed the matter with officials of the Taxation section to find a way to resolve the issue.
