Everyone at some point in time must have come across Maya Angelou’s famous quote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Well, right now the Government of Goa makes the people of the State feel awful when they visit the markets, especially the fish market.
As Goans, we take pride in showcasing fish, curry and rice as the staple diet of the people of Goa and yet we cannot flaunt a single fish market where one can go and enjoy the visual beauty of the variety of fish available in our markets. The situation has aggravated to such an extent that Goans want to rather stay home and wait for the fish sellers to come by the house to buy some fish. The drawback they know is that the variety of fish on sale is limited, but this makes for a quick buck for the fish sellers.
O Heraldo is currently publishing a series on the status of markets in the State under the theme ‘Goa Markets of Destruction’. So far, the state of Panjim’s fish market, South Goa Planning and Development Authority's (SGPDA) retail fish market and the Santa Cruz market has been brought before the people.
Margao’s retail fish market, which was touted as a Dubai-style fish market by the local MLA at the time of its inauguration, is in a filthy condition and its vicinity is a breeding ground for swarms of mosquitoes, with its stinking water and open gutters. The flooring is slippery and many buyers have fallen and had to be taken to the South Goa District Hospital for treatment. The internal metal gutter covers have bent upwards and stones are kept on them to keep them down. The stink keeps away customers, forcing them to buy fish sold by the roadsides; however, as a result, Goan fisherwomen suffer losses. The fisherfolk say the market has gone from bad to worse over the last few years due to lack of maintenance.
The condition of the wholesale market is even worse. The traders as well as fishsellers from across the State who come in the wee hours to buy fish narrate the same story. Due to poor maintenance, the floor is filled with waste water and is a perfect surrounding for vector borne diseases to spread. The surroundings of the market is always in the news for the wrong reasons, most prominent amongst them are the thermocol boxes and fish waste that is dumped in the open field and in the water body that flows adjacent to the fish market.
Panjim’s filthy fish market will put any Ponjekar to shame. Early morning fish lovers have to dodge the narrow passages of the fish market and its slippery floor to fetch their prized ‘catch’. The shocking reality is that the Panjim fish market operates on a road, after fisherwomen refused to sit in the three-storied adjoining building, which was the intended fish market. Now, the building is used by those cleaning fish and selling chicken. The fish market and its surroundings are so filthy that they churn your guts with the nauseating smell at the beginning of the day.
The common thread amongst them all is the failure on the part of the government to provide a marketplace which is ideal as per the requirements and wishes of the local fish vendors and not a copy-paste of some market that does not reflect an iota of Goan culture. The second similarity amongst all the markets is the failure of the local self-governing bodies to maintain the markets. As the civic bodies and panchayats collect sopo from the fish vendors, it is their right to have access to clean market space to carry out their business. The lack of basic facilities such as clear water paths and drainage systems and washrooms for the vendors, should worry the public representatives.
Goans do not expect a ‘Dubai’ in their market spaces, but rather a Goa of their own when they go to get the day’s fish. It is the experience that makes your food intake more appetizing. A clean market is not just appealing to the public and the vendors, but also ensures that the food that is being consumed is not laced with microorganisms that could potentially harm your health.
Year after year, people in towns and villages hope that their market space will be updgraded and the market renovated with the basic facilities. But the government time and again fails to deliver.
Clare Muscutt once said, “Building a good customer experience does not happen by accident. It happens by design.” While the vendors are primarily responsible for providing this experience, it is the government’s responsibility to facilitate the experience.