the goan I network
MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council on Thursday not only rejected the trade licence sought by the wholesale fish traders, but has laid down a host of conditions for the traders to comply, which has effectively ruled out the possibility of issuing a trade licence in the future as well.
After sitting on the application moved by the wholesale fish market traders for close to four months, Margao Municipal Chief Officer Siddivinayak Naik on Thursday rejected the application for trade licence to trade fish in the wholesale fish market.
The Chief Officer, however, said the Municipality can consider the applications of the fish traders for the trade licence on condition they comply with the Municipal bye-laws dealing with trade licence.
In the letter, the Chief Officer insisted that the traders comply with as many as eight conditions to make them eligible for the trade licence. Municipal officials, however, told The Goan that all the eight conditions laid down by the civic body are all conditions which are difficult to comply.
For instance, the MMC has asked the traders to produce the sale deeds or the leave and licence agreement of the place where they are trading for the moment to be eligible for the trade licence, knowing well that the wholesale fish market is owned and manned by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority, an agency which is legally barred from executing a sale deed of leave and licence agreement.
That’s not all. The Chief Officer further insisted that the traders produce the house tax paid by them for the space where they are conducing the business or the house tax receipts of the owner of the premises.
The civic body further asked the traders to get the NOC from the fire services as well as the health department before the body could consider their applications for the trade licence.
Other conditions listed by the Chief Officer before the traders includes the site plan where they are conducting the business and the approved plan of the premises, and Form I & II required for a trade licence.
Chief Officer Siddivinayak Naik later told The Goan that the conditions cited in his letter to the fish traders are all required to be complied with by any trader who intends to set up a business in the commercial capital.
“These conditions are contained in the Municipal bye-laws. I have cited them in my letter to the fish traders after seeking legal opinion from the Municipal lawyers,”
Naik said.
The fish traders, had applied for the Municipal trade licence on August 20 last, but the applications were not disposed off on grounds that the Municipality is not empowered to issue trade licence for an activity which is conducted in an open space.
The wholesale fish traders have informed that they will submit the MMC Chief Officer’s letter rejecting their applications for the trade licence with a plea to waive off the trade licence condition since it is not possible to obtain a trade licence from the Municipal body for the fish trade.