MARGAO
Cash-starved South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) seems to have no plan to tap the revenue from the fish cutters operating in the wholesale fish market for some mysterious reasons.
Otherwise, consider this. The wholesale fish market plays host to around 50-plus fish cutters, engaged in cutting fish purchased by customers, including hoteliers and eateries. On paper, however, only six fish cutters are registered with the PDA, bringing in a paltry monthly revenue of Rs 6000 considering that each of the six fish cutters are charged a fee of Rs 1000 per person.
This peculiar situation thrown up a peculiar question “ why is the SGPDA dragging its feet to register the 50-odd fish cutters, whose registration can enrich the PDA coffers with Rs 50,000 a month.
Sources in the know say this revenue from the fish cutters, if tapped officially, can meet the salary bill of at least one of the PDA employees. An employee even went to the extent of saying that tapping the revenue would help pay the PDA employees get their 7th pay commission dues.
A lower-level PDA staff and employees said that a mafia operating in the wholesale fish market is pocketing this money, which otherwise would have come into the PDA coffers if the fish cutters were all registered with the body.
PDA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar said the matter will be placed before the ensuing meeting of the Authority for a decision.
“I am aware of the revenue potential from the fish cutters operating from the PDA market. The issue will be discussed with the PDA members at the forthcoming meeting,” Kumar said.
Questions are being raised why the PDA has been dragging its feet to register all the fish cutters given that they have become part and parcel of the wholesale fish business. Fish cutters, operating in the wholesale fish market, have come in handy for
hoteliers, businessmen and even small-time customers, who otherwise would have to transport the fish to either the PDA retail market or some other place.
Sources in the know told The Goan that though no revenue comes from the unregistered fish cutters, reports are doing the rounds that vested interests are collecting fees from the fish cutters in lieu of their operation in the wholesale fish market.
