THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: Margao Municipal sopo collection tender has come back to haunt the Civic body and the powers that be again. Friday was the last date to submit the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) with the Margao Municipal council before the bidders place their bids.
Former Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho, however, pointed out that the Rs 69 lakh tender had to be cancelled for the simple reason that the EMD was not mentioned in the tender. MMC Chief Officer, Melvyn Vaz, when contacted by the The Goan, however, said since the sopo collection contract was to take effect only in January, 2025, the Civic body would rectify the discrepancies, if any, and complete the process by the year end.
Former Chairperson Savio Coutinho, however, saw red in the sopo tendering, raising eyebrows that the sopo collection is being carried out departmentally by the Civic body for a long time, affecting the revenue. He said information gathered by him has revealed that the municipal workers are on an average collecting Rs 15,000 per month by way of sopo collection. Coutinho, however, wondered that the MMC decision to float the tender for Rs 69 lakh shows that there’s huge potential for increasing the revenue from sopo collection.
“Let the Municipal Chairperson or the Chief Officer explain how the Civic body is collecting only Rs 15,000 by way of sopo every month. And, how is the Civic body expecting the contactor collect a higher revenue from sopo collection. This discrepancy has raised many an eyebrow”, he said.
