Mapusa: Traders in Mapusa are against the inclusion of a luxury shopping mall in the proposed Rs 192-crore redevelopment of the KTC bus stand. They have started a signature campaign demanding scrapping of the proposal.The project, proposed on 27,000 sqm of land will be implemented on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer model. Small traders argue that the proposed mall will jeopardise the Mapusa market, an economic lifeline of North Goa.“Our businesses are already struggling due to online shopping and existing malls,” said Jitendra Falari, president of the Mapusa Traders Association. “The proposed mall threatens the livelihoods of over 2,500 families who have been operating from here for generations,” he said.The traders’ body, Falari said, is against investment of Rs 192 crore in a luxury mall while the existing market roads, sewerage system, and power lines remain in poor condition due to a lack of funds.Traders said the town is in desperate need of basic infrastructure such as parking and waste management rather than a modern shopping complex.The business community has urged govt to limit the new bus station’s scope strictly to passenger convenience, parking, and a canteen. They have also demanded that the funds be redirected towards the renovation and upgrading of the Mapusa municipal market.
