Ponda cloth vendors vacate market after power cut

Ponda: Cloth vendors of Ponda Budhwar peth have vacated the dilapidated building on Saturday, citing financial losses due to power disconnection.Despite the pending rent concession issue, the vendors signed lease agreements on Monday in protest before moving to their new spaces allotted in the market complex.The vendors, who were waiting for the chief minister’s decision on rent concessions, were forced to move to their allotted shops after the municipality disconnected their power.Electricity was disconnected from their shops on the day of Laxmi Pooja, and the vendors claim it caused financial losses as it was difficult for customers to select clothes properly, said vendor leader Gharu Sawant.It may be recalled that the Ponda Municipal Council had twice issued 72-hour eviction notices to shift the vendors from the fish market building, citing safety concerns about the building.

However, on both occasions, chief minister Pramod Sawant intervened and put the eviction on hold.The traders currently occupy the upper floor of the building constructed in 1984, which is leaning towards a nearby nullah.Fish vendors from the building’s ground floor were relocated to the new location as of May 15. Once the old structure is fully vacated, the municipality plans to demolish it.