MARGAO
Even as the wholesale fish market sopo tender has hit a block over the tender conditions, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has extended the deadline for the opening of the sopo fee collection tender to November 13.
For, the State government is yet to take a call on the resolution adopted by the SGPDA for waiver of some of the tender conditions, including the controversial condition that the Agency should have fishing business/ activities for at least 10 years with a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore and above.
Besides PDA members, some of the prospective bidders have not only questioned, but have slammed the government for imposing the controversial condition, wondering what has market sopo collection got to do with fishing business/ activities.
When The Goan recently asked SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar to shed light on the fate of the Rs 3.88 crore wholesale fish market sopo tender, he said the PDA has decided to extend the time limit for the opening of the tender to November 13. “Since the SGPDA has not received any communiqué from the government to the PDA request to waive off the controversial conditions, we have postponed the opening of the tender to November 13,” he said.
When it was suggested to him how the SGPDA will go about the matter in the event the PDA’s request to waive off the conditions finds no favour with the government, Salkar said the PDA will take the appropriate decision at the right time.
After endless delays over the last couple of years, the SGPDA had floated the wholesale fish market tender at an estimated cost of Rs 3.88 crore. The tender had raised many an eyebrow as a successful bidder would be mandated to pay to the PDA monthly fees amounting to a whopping Rs 32 lakh when the departmental collection of the sopo by the planning body has never crossed the Rs 12 lakh-figure on an average.
Even as the estimated amount of the sopo tender had raised many an eyebrow, then came the controversy over the condition that the agency should have fishing business/ activities for at least 10 years with a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore and above.
A glance at the tender documents revealed that the date and time of pre-bid meeting/ conference was on 04/09/2023 at 11 am, while the last date and time of submission of bid documents was 18/09/2023 upto 3 pm.
Though the last date of opening of technical bid was September 22, at 3 pm, a month has passed since the deadline has lapsed and the PDA is now looking forward to open the tender on November 13.
