MARGAO
In an interesting development, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) is eyeing a whopping revenue of Rs 3.88 crore by way of sopo collection fees from private contractors in the PDA wholesale fish market for the next 12 months.
The SGPDA, which has been collecting the sopo fees from the wholesale fish market departmentally by engaging staff over the last couple of years, have a question or two to answer “ how come the PDA expects the prospective sopo collectors to pay revenue to the tune of Rs 3.88 crore when the departmental collection of the sopo fees by the planning body had never even come to the half way figure mark of the bid amount set by the PDA.
In fact, even as the SGPDA has fixed a pre-bid meeting with prospective bidders before the process of submission of bids is set in motion, a host of questions have come to the fore.
Consider this: The SGPDA has invited e-tenders from eligible agencies/contractors within the State of Goa for the maintenance and revenue collection of SGPDA’s wholesale fish market at an estimated amount of Rs 3.88 crore for one year. This implies that an eligible and successful bidder will be required to pay monthly revenue amounting to Rs 32.36 lakh to the SGPDA.
Source in the know, however, pointed out that the departmental collection of the sopo fees by the SGDPA in recent times had never crossed the Rs 15 lakh figure a month. In fact, sources say the average monthly revenue earned by the SGPDA from the wholesale fish market by way of sopo fees has been in the region of around Rs 12 lakh.
This has thrown up a moot question, how come the SGPDA now expects the bidders to pay to the planning body an amount of Rs 32.36 lakh per month for the sopo collection in the wholesale fish market. And, whether there was leakage of revenue, if any, to the PDA since the average monthly revenue collection from the wholesale fish market has never crossed the Rs 15 lakh figure.
When The Goan posed this question to SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar to shed light on the bid amount arrived by the PDA and whether the planning body had failed to collect the huge revenue when the sopo fees were being collected departmentally over the last couple of years, he promised to get back after discussing the matter with the SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali.
The SGPDA Chairman later told The Goan that the figure has been arrived in by the planning body after taking into consideration that the wholesale fish market activities would soon be carried on a much bigger space after the commissioning of the modern market.
He further said that the PDA now plans to ensure that all the fish transporting vehicles, including those doing business on the main road would be compulsorily told to enter the wholesale fish market after the market commissioning, thus increasing the revenue potential in the near future.
“The PDA has floated the e-tender for sopo collection after sending the proposal to the PWD for vetting. Only after the PWD has cleared the proposal, the e-tender is being floated,” he added.
A prospective bidder, however, contended that sopo fees are being collected by the PDA in the wholesale fish market based on the number of vehicles entering the market to trade in fish. “We are also confused over the bid amount fixed by the SGPDA. The successful bidder will be required to pay monthly revenue amounting to Rs 32.36 lakh to the PDA. The bidder will have to also look after the upkeep and maintenance of the market. Besides, the bidder will have to employ an army of workers for sopo collection. We are working out the economics and would seek clarifications during the pre-bid meeting,” the bidder said.
He, however, hastened to question whether it is prudent on the part of the PDA to fix the bid at Rs 3.88 crore when the planning body’s revenue collection has never touch the half way figure over the years.
Fees from fish trucks parked outside market sparks debate
MARGAO: Claims made by SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Salkar that the PDA is not collecting revenue from the fish trucks parked outside the wholesale fish market and on the main road may throw up a host of questions. For, the Margao Municipal staff drafted for the collection of sopo revenue from the vehicle engaged in fish activities outside the wholesale fish market told The Goan that the fish vehicles parked on the wholesale fish market road do not pay sopo fees to the MMC on the plea they are paying the sopo to the PDA staff.
The MMC has drafted four employees for collection of sopo from the fish vendors transporting fish from the wholesale fish market to various parts of the State. “We charge a cycle fish vendor at the rate of Rs 30 and for a vendor transporting fish on a two-wheeler Rs 50. Other than this category of vendors, the MMC does not receive any other revenue. The fish transporting trucks parked on the wholesale market road refuse to pay the MMC sopo on grounds they have already paid the sopo to the PDA at the time of entry into the wholesale fish market,” a MMC staffer told The Goan.
Sadly, the average daily sopo collection by the MMC does not cross the Rs 5,000 figure, sources said.
