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Goanet mourns the passing of Cornel da Costa in London, England - Sep 10/10
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Mapusa Municipal market
The Mapusa Municipal market is in a very pathetic condition - the less
said about it the better. Yet as a regular visitor to the market, I
would like to say the following:
Most of us have been commenting on the migrants and calling them
'ghanttis'. Unfortunately, we have become worse than ghanttis - the
Mapusa market is a concrete example.
The market is so filthy that if you shop in the market the very thought
of filthiness makes you puke!
This year it rained heavily and it was still pouring until a couple of
days ago. I was in Mapusa market twice in July when it rained heavily.
The drainage system of the market is as good as non-existent. As a
result, when it rains, rain water gets collected on the inner
streets/pavements of the market and vendors’ products begin to float on
water. The vendors run helter shelter, gather their products, secure
them in gunny bags, etc. and then sell them to customers - so much for
the hygiene! I have stopped buying vegetables from the Mapusa market; I
buy my requirements from shops in Anjuna.
TWO-WHEELER PARKING: We always parked our two-wheelers and locked them
so nobody could take them away. Nowadays, you may lock your
two-wheelers, but there is no guarantee that you will find them where
you parked them when you return from your shopping.
The Mapusa police go around the town with a tow-truck, circle around it
like vultures and pick up two-wheelers if they are parked even a few
inches outside the parking line; mind you, we are not at all talking
about parking in a ‘No Parking Zone’. Sometimes they place a lock to the
front wheel of a two-wheeler so you can’t move it. In the former case
one goes to the police station, fills up the form and pays a penalty of
Rs.200 – Rs.100 as fine and Rs.100 as towing charges; in the later case
also one goes to the police station or contacts them if they are around,
fills up a form and pays a fine of Rs.100 to unlock the lock on the wheel.
Imposing penalty in genuine cases is fine, but just as every action has
reaction, every problem must have a solution. The Municipal authorities
are towing away or locking two-wheelers and collecting money but where
is the solution to parking?
Recently, they placed two-wheeler parking signs on the roads in the
market but they are not enough for such a large community of
two-wheelers. And, where is the parking for the handicapped and senior
citizens?
MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE MARKET: For around three months, the main entrance
of the Mapusa Municipal is inaccessible because five brand new lottery
cars have been parked there; a small open space to the left serves as an
entrance to the market. Where is the Mapusa Municipal Council?
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna, Goa
Mob: 9420979201
