Comply with municipal bye-laws for trade licence: MMC to fish traders

| DECEMBER 14, 2018, 03:42 AM IST

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.

CONDITIONS TO COMPLY
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
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
Get the NOC from the fire  services as well as the health department
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
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