MARGAO
With less than a week to go for curtains to come down on the current financial year and the beginning of the fresh financial year, sopo collection contractors are still not put in place by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) and the Margao Municipal Council (MMC).
Sopo collection fees amounting to lakhs of rupees enrich the coffers of the SGPDA and the MMC annually. In the absence of sopo contractors, the fees are being collected by the PDA and the MMC departmentally, with sources conceding that this has failed to mop up the anticipated revenue for these two bodies.
SGPDA sopo contract
Inquiries by The Goan with the planning body revealed that it may take some time before the SGPDA floats a tender, inviting bids from prospective bidders for the collection of sopo fees from the wholesale fish market.
For, the tender is yet to be floated to date and going by the ground reality, it may take around a month to complete the tendering formalities.
Take note, the ban on fishing will come into force from June 1, bringing to a halt fishing activities at the jetties and the fish transporting vehicles to the wholesale fish market from the State’s coast. During the two-month ban period, only fish transporting trucks from across the State borders enter the wholesale fish market, which is Goa’s lone wholesale fish market, besides fish coming from the fish processing units dotting the State’s countryside.
Inquiries with the SGPDA revealed that the planning body had approached the PWD for a grant of technical sanction to float the wholesale fish market sopo tender. The PWD, however, is believed to have raised some queries and observations and has told the PDA to clarify some issues.
In the meantime, PDA officials have pointed out that the PDA had been tied up with the intervening Assembly session and is expected to reply to the PWD’s observations after the Assembly session.
A PDA official informed that the tender will be floated only after the PWD accord the technical sanction to the sopo tender, indicating that the whole process might take some time before the tender is finalised. In the meantime, collection of sopo fees at the wholesale fish market will continue to be collected by the PDA departmentally.
MMC sopo contract
The Margao Municipal Council, sources said, had floated a tender inviting bids for the collection of sopo fees from vendors across the city. However, the tender could not be taken to the logical conclusion to date for the want of bidders.
Sources informed that the civic body was scheduled to open the tender around mid-March, but could not do so since there were no takers. Sources further informed that around three parties have taken the tender forms, but the tender could not be conducted since none of the parties has submitted the Earnest Money DepositEMDs to the civic body.
Left with no option, the Taxation office immediately forwarded the file to the Chief Officer and Chairperson to take a suitable decision on the matter. To date, however, the taxation office has pointed out that they have received no instructions from the higher ups how to go about the matter.
Officials pointed out they have no idea why the bidders have shied away from participating in the sopo tender, and whether the tender has gone abegging over the upset price fixed by the council.
With less than a week before the curtains come down on the current financial year, all eyes are now focused on the Margao Municipal Council and how it will go about engaging a contractor before the commencement of the new financial year on April 1.
The mango season has already started with vehicles from the State and outside bringing tonnes of mangoes to the Pimpalkatta area of the commercial capital every year. Take note, the sopo contractors evince interest in the MMC contract with an eye on the mango season as well as the two major feast fairs, the Holy Spirit Church feast fair and the December 8 feast fair.
