Tussle over sopo revenue: Jurisdiction dispute between SGPDA and MMC under SDM's scrutiny

On Monday, SDM Ramesh Goankar conducted a hearing on the issue in a bid to end the stalemate between the SGPDA and MMC and avert a law and order situation.

While SGPDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali made his personal appearance at the hearing before the SDM, the Margao Municipal Council was represented by MMC Assistant Engineer Vinay Desai on behalf of Chief Officer Melvyn Vaz, who was holed up in the High Court in connection with a hearing.

While the SGPDA member secretary is believed to have laid his claim over the paved area outside the wholesale fish market, the municipal engineer is believed to have raised a contentious issue “ how is the SGPDA collecting sopo fees from retail vendors when the market in question is a wholesale fish market?

In fact, MMC Assistant Engineer Desai is believed to have questioned how fish-cutting activity is taking place in a wholesale fish market when buyers are expected to purchase fish wholesale.

After hearing the two parties, SDM Ramesh Goankar is believed to have sought documents from both sides, including those in respect of the land in question. Sources said that demarcation of the SGPDA-acquired area is not ruled out to determine whether the SGPDA’s jurisdiction extends outside the compound wall of the wholesale fish market or is restricted within the complex.

The question of jurisdiction over the paved area outside the wholesale fish market has brought the SGPDA and the MMC face to face after the MMC-appointed contractor Milagres Fernandes started collecting sopo fees from the retail vendors selling fish outside the PDA compound wall. This invited sharp retaliation from the SGPDA, as evidenced by the fact that the PDA Member Secretary Sheikh Ali lodged a complaint with the Fatorda police to stop the MMC-appointed contractor from collecting sopo fees from vendors selling fish on the paved area.