the goan I network
MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council has finally decided to call a meeting on March 28 to take a call on how to go about auctioning the annual Sopo, even as the city-based activists have threatened to file a complaint of criminal negligence for causing financial losses to the Council.
That the Council has called a meeting on March 28 “ just three days before the current financial year ends on March 31 -- to decide on the Sopo contract, indicates that the Civic body had failed to have the meeting much in advance, knowing well that the Municipality is required to finalise the new Sopo contractor before the end of the financial year.
Questions are being raised whether the Council will go for e-tendering of the sopo contract since the amount runs into lakhs of rupees as rules mandate the Civic body e-auction tenders whose amount exceeds Rs five lakh. Leave alone e-tendering, a section of the Municipal administration in private says the Council should go for inviting sealed envelopes to rule out contractors forging syndicates and causing loss for the Civic body.
In the meantime, the Shadow Council for Margao warned that they shall not hesitate to file a complaint for criminal negligence, for causing financial losses to the Council.
SCM Convenor Savio Coutinho revealed that the file for auction was processed well in advance, but on account of vested interests in the elected body, the auction was “delayed for unjustified reasons”.
“What is important for the Madgaonkars to realize is that the months of April, May and June are peak months for Sopo collection on account of the mango season and the Holy Spirit feast fair. Once these three months are lost, the remaining nine months auction bid price automatically gets effected. And this is exactly what the Council is trying to do, and we have all the reason to make a charge that the delay in auction is on account of a financial deal between the Sopo Contractor and the elected body”, Coutinho said.
