MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) on Thursday unanimously proposed a hike in the Sopo and pay parking charges in the market area for the year 2023-24.
The meeting was chaired by MMC Chairperson Priya Mishal and those attending the meeting included Chief Officer Amitesh Shirvaikar, MMC Deputy Chairperson Viraj Phadke and all other councillors, except for Dr Nutan Bicholkar and Cayle Braganza.
The rates were fixed for Sopo and pay parking. The garbage tax also was included in the Sopo contract amount. Earlier, the MMC was collecting the garbage tax from the vendors.
Vendors in the shed will have to pay Rs 40 per sq metre, and those outside the shed will have to pay Rs 25 per sq metre. The tender amount for the Sopo contract will be Rs 2.42 crore.
The pay parking charges for vehicles parked in the market and taxi stand area will be Rs 10 for two-wheelers for two hours, and Rs 20 for four-wheelers for two hours. The rate was Rs 5 and Rs 10 in the past. The tender auction amount for the pay parking this year will be Rs 1 crore.
Councillors Adv. Shashank Narvekar demanded action on encroachments by illegal vendors who sit on the roads and footpaths in the city.
They claimed that these vendors do not pay anything to the MMC and moreover, vendors in the market lose their business.
MMC Chairperson Priya Mishal said the chief officer has issued a notice against such encroachments and illegal vendors, and added that action would be taken accordingly.
Incidentally, the contract for pay parking and Sopo had ended on March 31. Then the MMC employees collected the pay parking but the Sopo was not collected for the past six days, and this impacted the revenue of the MMC.
The MMC chairperson assured that from Friday till the new contract is signed, the Sopo would be collected regularly by the MMC staff.
Meanwhile, the Mapusa Merchants Association has strongly opposed a hike in the pay-parking rate.
The association said it had permitted pay-parking only to bring discipline in the market and to make available parking space for the customers.
They insisted that the MMC should create a new space for parking and then raise the charges.
