Canacona municipality acts against roadside vendors

Canacona: Chairperson of the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) Ramakant Naikgaunkar cracked down on roadside vendors, specially those selling fish, and got them shifted to the fish market complex at Chaudi.
Naikgaunkar told TOI that, henceforth, there will be constant and continuous checks to ensure no violations by vendors and said that the council would take stern action by sealing businesses of violators.
Locals said that the CMC getting the fish vendors to move into the municipal fish market was a welcome move but were sceptical about whether there would be continuous enforcement in this regard.
Naikgaunkar, who recently received the Indian Swachata League (ISL) award at New Delhi, said that he personally approached the fish vendors who used to operate from outside the market complex.
“Their only demand was that CMC should stop the practice of roadside vending altogether and that they were forced to sit outside the market due to the few vendors operating outside and diverting buyers away from the market complex,” he said, adding that the council on its side has assured the vendors of ensuring that the market is cleaned daily.
The fish sellers have been given one set of keys to the toilet near the vegetable market, Naikgaunkar said.
The weekly Saturday bazaar will also be set up inside the fruit and vegetable market complex.
“Our municipality has been adjudged as one of the cleanest and we must maintain the standard,” he said.