MARGAO: South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s delay in floating tender for collection of fees at the wholesale fish market has come under the scanner of the High Court.
The High Court clearly pointed out that not just floating of tenders, but the entire process of appointing the contractor through the tender must be completed by the SGPDA within three months.
The High Court further held that the if the process is not completed within three months from the date of the order, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority must itself collect levy/fees, if it so desires. But there is no question of continuing with respondent No 3, the court held.
The High Court issued the directions after the legal counsel for the SGPDA made a statement that the tender for appointing labour for collection of levy/fees at the wholesale fish market will be floated within a maximum of three months.
The High Court ruling to a writ petition filed by the Margao Wholesale Fish market Association assumes significance since the SGPDA had delayed floating the tender to appoint a new contractor to collect the fees from the wholesale fish market.
In fact, the issue had figured at the SGDPA meetings, with some of the members called for the tendering of the labour contractor to collect the sopo fees. While SGPDA Chairman, MLA Wilfred D’Sa had handed out assurances to the members that the contractor will be appointed on priority, he had later attributed the delay to the pending of a matter in the Margao Civil Court.
The SGPDA chairman had further maintained in the past that the though the contractor was not appointed via a tender, the SGPDA had enhanced the payment of the money by the existing contractor to Rs nine lakh a month.
SGPDA Member Secretary Ranjit Borkar, who took over office around three months ago, when contacted, said the PDA will set in motion the process to tender the contractor for the collection of fees from the wholesale fish market. “The High Court has granted three months time to complete the process and to appoint a contractor. The PDA will set in motion the process by floating the tender”, he added.
