Panaji market complex faces parking and sanitation issues

Panaji: The two-storey Panaji municipal market complex is a sprawling structure, but amenities at the building leave much to be desired. Visitors must deal with haphazard parking, even though the complex was constructed with a basement car park.

Poor lighting leads to security issues, besides puddles and a general lack of maintenance, which causes visitors to avoid the basement parking.Niddi Roy, a customer from Altinho, said that it is more convenient to park the vehicle outside than take it to the basement. She said the limited space in the basement parking area is also a major issue. “All the vehicles are scrunched together in the basement. It gets difficult to navigate through the limited space,” she said.The parking space in the basement doesn’t accommodate all vehicles because of limited space, which becomes challenging for customers to park vehicles in the evening. Khwaja Sheikh, a customer from St Inez, said, “If I go to the parking space, I have to walk all the way to the other end to get my groceries. It's better if I park my vehicle close by to the shop while making purchases,” he said.Ultimately, this adds to the messy parking scene outside the complex.

Vendors who operate from the complex also point out that though they have been provided with newly constructed toilets, the water supply is not regular.Prashila Naik, a general store owner in the market, said, “There is no water in the washrooms. They are clean, but how do we maintain our personal hygiene if the washrooms do not have water?”The market runs 12 hours a day, where one finds every necessity under one roof, except proper sanitation and a systematic place to park vehicles.

Madev Parshuram, a meat vendor, said, “I don’t go to those toilets. They are dirty and filthy. You can get sick using them.”Rohit Monserrate, mayor of Panaji, said that there are outstanding dues that are yet to be paid by the vendors in the market, which makes it difficult to gather funds for maintenance work. "Govt also has earmarked a limited budget for development work and upkeep, so it is a challenge to allocate funds for repairs and furnishings," he said.