At Panaji’s Ashtami fair, 400 stall owners share just 9 mobile toilets

Panaji: The 10-day-long annual Ashtami fair held along the Panaji promenade has seen an increase in the number of stalls permitted by the Corporation for the City of Panaji (CCP) by 100 this year. However, for the total of 400 stalls, with an equal or greater number of vendors manning them, only nine mobile toilet units have been made available.

The high volume of vendors operating the stalls and the limited number of mobile toilets at the fair is creating hygiene problems.

Clothing vendor Parvez Khan said that the washrooms made available are not adequate for all the vendors at the fair. “We struggle to get a decent amount of washroom time with the limited toilets available here. It is an uncomfortable experience for us,” said Khan.

Another vendor Javed Ansari said that the stall rents charged by the CCP go up to Rs 27,000, with an increase effected this year. However, this has not translated into corresponding facilities, said the vendors.

“Three years ago, we were paying around Rs 6,000 for a stall. This year we paid Rs 26,500 for the same space. It doesn’t make sense to provide us with only these many toilets,” Ansari said.

Many of the vendors spend 24 hours at their stall during the fair duration, as they cannot afford to leave their goods unwatched through the night in the makeshift stalls, for the fear of theft. They said that this especially adds to their discomfort.

A vendor selling home accessories, Musharraf Sheikh, said, “The stalls often get wet as the fair is held during the monsoon. We have no choice but to sleep on the dirty promenade to guard our stalls.”

The vendors said that water supply at the mobile toilets is also an issue.

A utensil vendor Saddam Khan said, “There is a water supply issue with the washrooms here. The water tankers come later in the day. Some times, we use the public toilets at the Panaji market, for better cleanliness or go to the one at the garden ahead.”

Despite several attempts, CCP commissioner Clen Madeira was unavailable for comment.

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