MARGAO
Fish vendors have once again found themselves caught in a dispute over sopo fee collection outside the wholesale fish market.
The vendors claim they are paying sopo fees to the contractor appointed by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA), but are then asked to pay the same fees again to a contractor hired by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC).
On Friday, both SGPDA and MMC-appointed sopo contractors were seen collecting fees from vendors doing business on the platform located just outside the compound wall of the wholesale fish market.
The SGPDA contractor told the media that they have been authorised to collect sopo fees because the area outside the wall belongs to the PDA.
However, the MMC contractor argued that the space lies within Municipal limits, and the PDA has no role outside the market wall.
Amid the confusion, questions are being raised about why the SGPDA contractor is not issuing receipts to vendors for the sopo fees collected. When The Goan asked about the lack of receipts, the contractor said receipts have never been given in the past — raising concerns about how the fees are being accounted for by the PDA.
