MARGAO
The old controversy over the jurisdiction of the SGPDA and Margao Municipal Council over the area outside the wholesale fish market erupted again on New Year’s Day, this time over the collection of sopo fees.
In the past, the SGPDA had categorically maintained that the PDA had no jurisdiction over the sale of fish outside the compound of the wholesale fish market.
Wednesday, however, saw a row of sorts at the market when the new Margao Municipal Council-appointed sopo contractor, Milagres Fernandes, descended outside the wholesale fish market to collect sopo fees from the fish vendors and other vendors doing business at the spot.
To his shock and surprise, Milagres was told by the vendors that they had already paid the sopo fees to the SGPDA sopo collector as they politely refused to pay additional sopo to the MMC contractor.
Left with no option, Milagres rushed to the Margao Municipal Council to take up his case with Margao Municipal Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz and to request him to send a message to the SGPDA to direct the sopo contractor to stop collecting sopo fees outside the wholesale fish market.
Milagres told 'The Goan' that he had once collected sopo fees for the SGPDA in the wholesale fish market, but had never collected sopo from the fish and other vendors doing business outside the compound wall of the wholesale fish market. “When I was a sopo collector for the SGPDA, the PDA had barred me from collecting sopo from the fish and other vendors doing business outside the wholesale fish market compound wall. This was simply because the PDA had taken the stand that the land outside the compound wall does not come under the PDA’s jurisdiction. But, today I realised that the PDA sopo contractor has collected sopo from vendors sitting outside the wholesale fish market,” he said.
Milagres pointed out that he has requested the MMC Chief Officer to call on the PDA Member Secretary and impress upon the PDA to bar their sopo collector from collecting sopo from outside the wholesale fish market compound wall.
