Customers making purchases at the new stall set up by a local vendor at the Saturday bazaar in Chaudi-Canacona.
CANACONA
With the Saturday Bazaar abuzz with activity at Chaudi-Canacona, there has been an addition with two locals setting up vegetable stalls and selling vegetables at competitive rates.
Responding to an appeal for local farmers and vendors to set up vegetable, flower, and fruit stalls at Chaudi to counter the increasing influence of outside traders, well-known and state-award-winning agriculturist Ajit Pai opened a vegetable and fruit stall at Canacona’s weekly market on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra.
The stall was opened in the presence of CMC Chairperson Sara Naik Dessai and Chaudi ward councillor and Hindavi Swaraj Sangathan officials. Ajit Pai, who runs a stall at his native Poinguinim village, said, “My quality will not be compromised, the items will be fresh and rates will be the lowest possible.”
At the Saturday bazaar, another local, Dinkar Mestri, of Mastimoll-Canacona, also started selling fruits and vegetables at wholesale rates at the weekly bazaar in Chaudi.
Appeals have also been made via social media to patronise the new local traders at the weekly bazaar, stating that both have experience in selling fruits and vegetables for many years and they do business with utmost trust and integrity.
“All are requested to deliberately buy vegetables from their stalls,” stated one such post. “We should encourage these new professionals and support them to prevent the monopoly of outside/foreign people in our market.”
During recent communal tensions over opposition to the proposed Julus procession in Canacona last month, some speakers were accused of making inflammatory speeches against the Muslim community.
They have even gone to the extent of calling for a shutdown of the Saturday Bazaar at Chaudi and to ban non-resident Muslim traders from outside the Taluka from participating in the weekly bazaar.
Some of these speakers had appealed to local vendors to set up stalls at the Saturday Bazaar, to counter the increasing influence of outside traders.
