MARGAO
Fatorda police intervened on Friday morning to stop the Margao Municipal-appointed contractor to collect sopo fees from the paved parking strip outside the wholesale fish market.
Sopo contractor, Milagres Fernandes cried foul over the police action and immediately called up the Margao Municipal Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz to intervene and give him relief or threatened to withdraw from the contract.
In fact, a day after the SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali lodged a police complaint to stop the MMC appointed contractor from collecting fees from the paved area outside the wholesale fish market compound wall, the Fatorda police descended at the market and stopped the contractor from collecting sopo outside the market.
Sopo contractor Milagres told the Fatorda police that he has bagged the sopo collection contract for a whopping Rs 1 crore and has been collecting the sopo fees from outside the wholesale fish market as per the terms and conditions of the contract. “The police came and told me and my staff to sit in the police vehicle and come to the police station. How can the police treat a contractor appointed by an autonomous Margao Municipal body like this? I have bagged the contract for a whopping Rs 1 crore. And, I have been collecting the sopo fees as per the contract signed with the civic body,” Milagres said.
While drawing the attention of the MMC Chief Officer to the police action in the wholesale fish market on Saturday morning, the contractor said he would be forced to withdraw from the contract if the MMC does not support him in the collection of sopo fees.
Given the situation wherein both the SGPDA as well as the MMC has laid claim on the paved area outside the compound wall of the wholesale fish market, sources said officials of the PDA and the civic body are expected to meet early next week to resolve the issue of jurisdiction over the paved area.
Councillors allege sopo collected from shops with trade licence
MARGAO: In an interesting development, Margao Municipal councillors on Friday raised serious allegations of overcharging by the newly-appointed sopo fee collection contractor.
They levelled allegations that sopo fees are being collected from shops operating with the trade licence and asked civic chief Damu Shirodkar and Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz to look into the issue.
The issue figured at the MMC meeting on Friday when councillors, mostly councillors belonging to the Goa Forward Party, charged that the contractor is either overcharging or is collecting sopo from shops operating with trade licence.
After giving a patient hearing, Chairperson Damu Shirodkar said he too has received similar complaints, assuring agitated councillors that he would ask the Chief Officer to call the contractor and resolve the issues.
