MARGAO
Even as the mystery over the missing sopo tender file remains unresolved till date, Margao Municipal Chief Officer has prepared a fresh file and has sent the same to the Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar in order to float an e-tender for sopo collection for the next five months of the current financial year.
In the meantime, the Shadow Council for Margao has filed a written complaint before the Director of Municipal Administration demanding for directions to the Chief Officer of Margao Municipal Council for filing FIR over the missing file of Sopo collection tender. The SCM has claimed that the delay in tendering the sopo collection tender has resulted in a loss of over Rs one crore.
Margao Municipal Chief Officer, Gaurish Sankhwalkar told The Goan that his office has prepared a new file to float the long-delayed e-tender for the sopo fee collection. “The file has gone to the chamber of the Chairperson Damu Shirodkar for signature. My office has prepared the new file so that the sopo collection tender is floated without wasting any further time”, Sankhwalkar informed.
Sources in the know informed that the MMC may float the e-tender after receiving the go-ahead signal from the MMC Chairperson with or without obtaining the administrative approval from the office of DMA. “Since the MMC is running out of time, the civic body may take the DMA’s approval post facto by floating the tender”, sources said.
Meanwhile, Shadow Council for Margao Convenor Savio Coutinho informed that a representation has been submitted to the office of the DMA, alleging that corruption activity at the Margao Municipal Council continues due to the leniency on the part of the DMA office.
“We have brought to the notice of the DMA on how the Margao Municipal Council has been undertaking the Sopo Collection departmentally since July 2022, knowing well that the outgoings towards the salaries of the Municipal staff being higher than the actual collection reported/deposited in the Municipal treasury, Coutinho said. "No efforts are being made to auction the Sopo collection rights so as to plug the losses," he charged further.
Vide public notice dtd. 28/02/2023, bids were invited by the Margao Municipal Council for Sopo collection rights for the period from 1/4/2023 to 31/3/2024, with an upset price fixed at 77,00,000/-. The date of auction was fixed on 14/03/2023, however due to no bidders the auction could not happen.
"Very shockingly, instead of moving for a re-auction process, the tender process file conveniently went missing and is not traceable till this date, he stated. "It is our firm conviction that the file has gone missing as some vested interests within the Council have been making a good deal of money, and hence do not wish to auction the collection rights, Coutinho said.
He said that RTI information furnished by the Council revealed that an average monthly collection of Rs
4-5 lakhs is reported/deposited in the Municipal treasury; and the gross salaries paid to the staff deputed for the Sopo collection exceeds this monthly collection.
