PANAJI: Three truckloads of goods were seized in a joint operation by traffic police and Corporation of the City of Panaji on Friday morning from the shopkeepers who had encroached upon passages, thereby restricting free movement of people in the municipal market.
The market committee alongwith municipal officer, municipal staff and the traffic police personnel seized goods that were found on the pavements outside the shops or kept in the open.
The municipal labourers seized items like umbrellas, raincoats, readymade garments, vegetable baskets besides baskets full of fruits kept outside shops and filled the truck one after the other.
These vendors were instructed several times not to keep their goods outside their shops as it obstructs the free movement of people and were even told that if the goods were found lying on the pavement and seized by the municipality then they would have to pay a fine of Rs 1000 and then take them back, informed a source in the municipality.
The municipal source informed that if the goods were seized again for the second time, then the same will be released by paying a sum of Rs 1000 fine and if found third time, then the shopkeepers will have to keep their shops shut for a week as a punishment.
Now, the vendors have been served with an ultimatum of stern action and no goods will be seized but they will have to close their shops for a week if found for the third time violating the CCP norms, it was stated.
Many shopkeepers stated that the municipality staff comes to discipline and collect rent from them but never attends to the plight of the vendors, tenants and shopkeepers. They said during monsoon, especially during downpour, the passages get filled with dirty water and it makes it impossible for the people to enter their shops.
