Police register case against unknown person
Vasco: A major fire that broke out at the New Modern Municipal Market, known as the Sunday Market, in Vasco around 11.40 pm on Wednesday, has destroyed approximately 150 shops and caused extensive damage to goods in one of the worst incidents witnessed in the port town.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday assured financial assistance to the affected traders. He said the government was assessing the damage and would extend necessary support, including financial compensation, to those affected.
Vasco police have registered a case against an unknown person in connection with the Sunday Market fire. According to the police, a case has been registered under Sections 326(f), 326(g) and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, based on a complaint filed by Police Inspector Vaibhav Naik.
Mormugao mamlatdar Pravinjay Pandit said around 105 affected people have been identified following the fire, which gutted 129 shops according to the preliminary reports. The Vendors Market Association president estimated the total loss between Rs 15 crore and Rs 20 crore.
South Goa District Collector Egna Cleetus said a help desk has been set up to gather details from the affected vendors and initiate an inventory process. Information has been received from around 89 vendors so far.
A scrutiny committee, headed by the Mormugao Deputy Collector and comprising the mamlatdar, talathis, a police inspector and vendor association representatives, will meet on Friday at 10 am to verify claims and finalise the list of the affected vendors and their losses.
Regarding rehabilitation, Cleetus said two locations have been identified for temporary accommodation, with suitability inspections under way.
Addressing allegations of shops being sublet without proper documentation, she said the scrutiny sub-committee will examine records before finalising compensation eligibility.
A high-level meeting was held on Thursday at the Mormugao Municipal Council to discuss the incident, damage and safety measures required to prevent future occurrences.
Attended by Chief Secretary Dr V Candavelou, Vasco MLA Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar, Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar, Revenue Commissioner cum Secretary Sandip Jacques, Cleetus, senior officials and market association representatives, the meeting focused on departmental coordination and vendor support.
The Chief Minister visited the site of the blaze around midnight on Wednesday, acknowledging that traders had made substantial investments in goods for Diwali and suffered severe losses.
Salkar, Amonkar and other political leaders were also present at the site Wednesday midnight, alongside Cleetus, the Director General of Police and senior officials overseeing the response.
Salkar pledged his salary for two years to assist the affected vendors, noting that they had consistently supported his constituency development efforts. Amonkar also faced personal losses, as several of the gutted shops were properties he had rented out.
The destruction of stock just before the festive season has severely impacted the livelihoods of numerous traders.
Vasco fire station officer Dilip Bicholkar said three fire incidents occurred in the port town within approximately an hour on Wednesday night. The first was reported at 10.20 pm at a house in New Vaddem, followed by a second at 10.37 pm at a car accessories shop in the Tilak Maidan building, where two fire tenders were deployed.
While operations were under way at the car accessories shop, the fire station received the call regarding the Sunday Market blaze. One fire tender was diverted from the earlier site to assist.
Bicholkar said the intensity of the market fire, lack of nearby water sources and the large crowd gathered at the scene posed significant challenges. Vendors and family members rushed into the streets attempting to save their belongings as the fire spread rapidly.
Panicked crowds hampered the movement of fire tenders, while vendors on different sides of the market urged firefighters to focus on their respective shops, Bicholkar said.
Firefighting assistance was mobilised from multiple locations, including Mormugao Port Authority, Goa Shipyard Limited, Zuari Industries, Ponda, Verna, Margao and Curchorem. Three tenders were deployed from Panaji headquarters and two from Vasco, bringing the total number of fire tenders deployed to 14.
Each tender made four to six trips to replenish water. Although firefighters brought the blaze under control around 4 am on Thursday, smoke continued to rise, and teams worked through Thursday afternoon to extinguish the remaining pockets of fire.
