The Vasco market fire has prompted plans to relocate 145 affected shopkeepers and vendors and trigger fire safety inspections across all markets in the city, according to Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar and officials who attended a joint meeting on rehabilitation measures.
Salkar directed the Mormugao Municipal Council to move the affected businesses to a proposed site on Shree Dev Damodar Trust land currently in the possession of the revenue department. The relocation is intended to allow the shopkeepers and hawkers to resume their businesses after the fire at the new market complex.
The proposed site was discussed during a meeting between Salkar, Mormugao Municipal Council officials and representatives of the state administration. The meeting included municipal administrator Jayant Tari, deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate of Mormugao Pratap Gaonkar, Mormugao mamlatdar Pravinjay Pandit and Vasco fire station in-charge Dilip Bicholkar.
The relocation plan places the immediate focus on restoring livelihoods while the authorities consider the condition and safety of market premises. The report does not specify the date by which the 145 shopkeepers will be moved, the layout of the proposed site or whether temporary infrastructure such as electricity, water, access routes and fire-safety equipment will be provided there.
Salkar also decided that all markets across Vasco would undergo fire safety inspections, probably beginning on Monday. The inspections will focus particularly on the availability and functionality of fire hydrants and firefighting equipment, he told The Times of India.
The proposed inspections will extend the response beyond the market complex affected by the recent fire. They will require municipal and fire authorities to examine whether market premises have operational firefighting systems and whether those systems can be accessed during an emergency. The report does not provide details of the number of markets to be inspected or the inspection protocol to be followed.
Municipal authorities are also expected to issue notices to dilapidated buildings and initiate corrective measures to address potential risks, Salkar said. The report does not identify the buildings that may receive notices or specify the nature and timeline of the corrective work.
The developments bring two administrative responsibilities together: providing a temporary or alternative location for businesses affected by the fire and assessing the safety of existing market buildings. For the affected shopkeepers, the proposed relocation is linked to the immediate need to restart commercial activity. For other market operators and visitors, the inspections are intended to establish whether essential fire-response infrastructure is available and functional.
The next step identified by the authorities is the start of fire safety inspections across Vasco markets, with particular attention to fire hydrants and firefighting equipment. Municipal officials are also expected to proceed with notices and corrective measures for buildings assessed as dilapidated.
