the goan I network
MARGAO
In a new twist to the controversy surrounding the Margao Municipal Council sopo tender, the public auction of the sopo scheduled on Friday morning was called off after the Director of Municipal Administration R Menaka, IAS stayed the exercise till further orders.
A couple of bidders, who turned up for the sopo auction, returned home after Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes received an order from the DMA Menaka stating that the public auction notice issued by Chief Officer dated April 2 and the corrigendum dated April 5 is stayed till further orders without prejudice to hearing of appeal by her court.
The DMA’s order comes in the wake of a petition filed by Ravindra Velip, a resident of Caurem-Quepem, submitting that the civic body arbitrarily inserted a clause No 14 which restricts other interested parties from participating in the bidding process.
The petitioner stated that the notice has categorically stated that the Council reserves the right to extend the collection of fees for further period of one year or more by imposing a hike of 10 per cent or more on and over the bid amount. Velip stated that this clause has been included by the civic body, which goes to show the nexus between the MMC and the bidders, who want to put an end on the public auctioning of the occupation fee collection in the future.
The DMA also referred to a letter received from the United Goans Foundation wherein objections to the procedure adopted in the tender in contravention to the laid down tender conducting guidelines by the CVC and the government of India.
That the DMA was contemplating action on the sopo had become clear on Thursday evening itself as the office had sought a host of documents from the Margao Municipal Council, as part of the inquiry after the DMA’s office received a petition to stay the sopo auction.
