MARGAO
Tension rent the air in the SGPDA wholesale fish market on Wednesday morning after the wholesale fish traders refused to pay the sopo for fish vehicles entering the market and the contractor engaged for collecteing the fees shutting the market exit gate in retaliation at around 9 am.
In another development, the wholesale fish traders headed by president of Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association M Ibrahim called on the SGPDA Member Secretary Vartika Dagur to pay the fees (sopo) collected from 52 vehicles amounting to Rs 90,000. The PDA Member Secretary categorically told Ibrahim that the contractor, Milagres Fernandes, is authorized to collect sopo from the fish vehicles on behalf of the SGPDA.
Even as the Member Secretary made it abundantly clear that all sopo payments needs to be paid to the contractor, and not to the PDA, Ibrahim later posted a cheque for Rs 90,000 along with a covering letter to the SGPDA office. He later told the media that the wholesale fish traders will pay sopo directly to the PDA only and not the sopo contractor.
In the meantime, the sopo contractor shut the entry and exit gates of the wholesale fish market, sending a message loud and clear to Ibrahim and the wholesale fish traders that only vehicles paying sopo will be permitted to move out of the market after business hours. Till Wednesday evening, a couple of vehicles left the market after paying the sopo, while most of the vehicles were still holed up inside the market.
Ibrahim told the media on Wednesday morning that the traders have refused to pay the sopo to the contractor alleging harassment and extortion. He said the traders will not pay sopo to the contractor till the SGPDA gives in writing that the PDA has authorized Milagres to collect sopo.
He also demanded to know why the SGPDA is dragging its feet on tendering the wholesale fish market sopo, saying that a government authority cannot delay the tendering of the sopo collection for over a year now.
However, when Ibrahim and a delegation of wholesale fish traders called on the member cecretary later in the morning, Vartika Dagur was categorical in saying that Milagres had been authorised to collect the sopo as per the decision of the SGPDA authorities. She refused to accept the cheque amounting to Rs 90,000, advising that the payment be made to the sopo contractor.
The sopo contractor, Milagres, later told the media that all the allegations of harassment and extortion made by Ibrahim are false and baseless and has been levelled at the behest of the political godfather from Fatorda.
“I have been collecting sopo for over a year now and these allegations are being levelled now just because I am contesting the Margao municipal election from Madel ward. This is just a game by the political godfather to paint me in bad light amongst my voters”, Milagres said.
He thanked Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and SGPDA Chairman MLA Wilfred D’Sa for taking bold decisions by deploying FDA to check whether fish coming to the market is laced with formalin or not.
Fatorda Police led by PI Kapil Nayak maintained strict vigil at the market to avert any law and order situation.
SDM calls for a meet of
warring factions today
MARGAO: Sub-divisional Magistrate, Margao Jyoti Kumari has convened a meeting of the warring wholesale fish traders and the sopo contractor on Thursday after the Fatorda police filed a report apprehending law and order situation at the SGPDA wholesale fish market.
In his report, Fatorda police station in-charge, PI Kapil Nayak made a plea to the Margao SDM to intervene in the matter so as to avoid any law and order situation. The police has also requested the SDM to depute a Magistrate in the wholesale fish market during business hours, from 4 am to 9 am from Thursday to deal with any possibility of law and order situation.
This is the second letter the Fatorda police has dashed to the district authorities to intervene in view of ongoing war between the wholesale fish traders and the sopo contractor over the payment of sopo fees.
In the letter, the police pointed out that vehicles are presently parked inside the wholesale fish market and the gate is locked by the sopo contractor since the fees are not paid by the traders.
Will return the cheque
worth Rs 90,000: D'Sa
MARGAO: South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) Chairman MLA Wilfred D’Sa has said the SGPDA will return the cheque amounting to Rs 90,000 back to the wholesale fish traders.
Wilfred D’Sa said that PDA Member Secretary Vartika Dagur had rejected the cheque when the delegation led by M Ibrahim and others came to submit it. He, however, said the wholesale traders forwarded the cheque and a covering letter without the notice of the SGPDA officials.
“This is unacceptable. The PDA will write to the wholesale fish market traders to take back their cheque. As already communicated by the PDA Member Secretary, the wholesale fish traders are supposed to make the payments to the sopo contractor authorized by the PDA”, Wilfred said.
Questions have also been raised in PDA circles whether the wholesale fish market Association can make the payment via a single cheque when the fish traders enter the wholesale fish market individually as traders.
