Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Sep 13: Women fish vendors and some locals had held protest in front of Saligrama town panchayat office in the taluk on Monday September 11, to register their resentment at the opening of an unauthorized private fish market near the fish market at Saligrama. In this connection, chief officer of the town panchayat, with support from police, tried to evict the private fish market. However, the officials had to beat a retreat due to a dramatic development at the venue.

Fish vending women and local citizens had staged a protest demanding to clear the newly opened fish market, claiming that it was damaging the environment and creating problems in the functioning of the permanent fish market existing there. They urged for immediate shifting of the fish market. In this backdrop, the town panchayat had issued notice to the owner of the fish market, asking him to clear the market by Tuesday morning. Still, owner of the market Suresh Bangera had not removed his fish market.

On Tuesday, chief officer of the town panchayat, Sripad Purohit, supported by some police personnel, went to the fish market and made an effort to evict it. But the owner sought three days time to fall in line with the demand. The chief officer did not budge and went ahead with the task of removing the structure. In a dramatic development, a woman who was selling fish there, pleaded with the chief officer not to rob her means of livelihood and requested for three days time to move out of there. During this act, she suddenly fell ill and collapsed to the ground.

Moved by this sudden development, the chief officer dropped the eviction process, went to Kota police station and held discussions with station house officer, Santosh A Kaykini.Thereafter, he decided to give three days time for the owner of the place to move the fish market out.