the goan I network
MARGAO
Amidst demands by some councillors to award the sopo contract via e-tendering and sealed tenders to ensure transparency, the ruling Margao Municipal Council headed by Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai bulldozed its proposal to select the contractor by auction with a revision of sopo rates.
That’s not all. The ruling Council by brute majority inserted an experience clause in the sopo contract even as some opposition members pointed out that the experience clause will only rule out parties from participating in the sopo bid.
The sopo issue generated much heat and triggered a lengthy debate, which even saw a councillor Ketan Kurtarkar alleging a “setting” before the ruling Council had its way with Chairperson Babita strongly batting for open auction of sopo instead of selecting the contractor by sealed tender, a suggestion made by the Director of Municipal Administration and strongly favoured by the Municipal lawyer.
While the Chairperson had her way when she led from the front to bat for the sopo auction, she, however, tried to soothe frayed tempers saying that the Council can consider e-tendering of sopo tender in the future.
Babita pointed out that the DMA had only suggested to the civic body to consider selecting the sopo contractor by inviting sealed tenders, adding that the Council is free to take an independent decision taking into account the interest of the Council. Councillors Arthur D’Silva and Ketan Kurtarkar made a strong case for settling the sopo row via e-tendering, both pointing out that even small works amounting to Rs 5 lakh are being e-tendered by the civic body.
The ruling councillors and the opposition came face to face when the Chairperson, to the surprise of both the elected councillors and the officials, suggested insertion of an experience clause, wherein only parties with minimum two-year experience will be eligible to participate in the auction. After opposition councillor Doris Texeira and others vehemently opposed the suggestion on ground that the experience clause may be challenged in the Court, Babita put the proposal for voting, which saw the ruling group of councillors raising their hands in support of the experience clause.
The Council later adopted a resolution to award the sopo contractor via auction, but by increasing the upset price by 25 per cent. In this respect, the Council gave its nod to revise the sopo rates, which saw the civic body hiking the rates for individual hawkers, jeeps, pick-up vans and trucks.
While individual hawkers will have to shell out Rs 10 for a metre of space occupied in the city, the Council has finalised the rates of Rs 20 for jeeps, Rs 50 for pick-up van and Rs 100 for trucks.
After the Council meeting, Babita justified the Council decision to go in for the open action, even going to the extend of saying that it would rid syndicate and bring in additional revenue to the civic body. “The DMA had only suggested to the Council to explore the possibility of inviting sealed tenders,” she said, while denying that the Council has taken a decision which falls in the domain of the Municipal administration.
