MARGAO: Margao municipal council (MMC) continued its anti-encroachment
drive on Friday and after inspecting the new market area and the area
behind Konkan railway tracks in Aquem, it cleared out encroachments in
Gandhi market, confiscating goods and vegetables found encroaching on
public space.

Unlike the previous two raids where goods above 1
lakh were confiscated, goods worth 4,000 were confiscated on Friday.
After an encroachment drive carried out in Gandhi market last month, the
MMC was at the receiving end of a furious backlash led by former
minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Azgaonkar, who gheraoed chairperson Arthur
D’Silva and the then chief officer J B Bhingui, alleging that only a
certain section of vendors were being targeted.

Both D’Silva and MMC vice chairperson Pratima Coutinho
had denied the allegations and stated that they were only carrying out
their duties while pointing out that the passage for pedestrians at the
Gandhi market was barely visible due to the heavy presence of
encroachments.

However, MMC market inspectors said that they
were carrying out the raids under the strict instructions from the new
chief officer, Srinet Kotwale, who had made it clear that the market inspectors had to be very thorough in their work or they would be liable to face action.