Vasco: The scrutiny committee set up to assess losses suffered by traders in the fire at the Modern Market Complex received 149 claims on Friday, including 133 from hawkers and 16 from shopkeepers.The committee, comprising deputy collector Pratap Gaonkar, Mormugao Municipal Council chief officer Siddhivinayak Naik, a police inspector and two hawker representatives, has begun scrutinising the applications to determine the losses and identify eligible beneficiaries.A special desk set up to process the claims has been instructed to expedite the exercise and will remain operational on weekends as well.“Some of the traders lost their documents in the fire. We will submit our report to govt and it will release the relief fund,” Gaonkar said.“Our job is to scrutinise all claims and send a report to govt. The affected vendors have given mandate forms in advance to fill up their bank details. We are verifying the applications to establish how many shops were leased out and how many claimants are the actual owners,” he said.Naik said the highest claim received was for Rs 65 lakh from a shoe vendor, followed by a claim of Rs 50 lakh from a garment vendor.Following requests from some vendors, the committee will also receive supporting documents on Saturday.The affidavit must be countersigned by the president or secretary of the authorised committee concerned, wherever applicable, the official said.MMC proposes fire insurance for tradersVasco: The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has proposed a comprehensive fire insurance policy for vendors, traders and shopkeepers operating from its municipal markets and the modern market complex.MMC chief officer Siddhivinayak Naik said he had moved a note to the municipal administrator to initiate the process. The proposed policy would enable traders to settle claims promptly in the event of losses caused by fire or other damage, without having to depend on financial assistance from the government, he said.
