MARGAO
All eyes are focused on the crucial meeting convened by the Sub-divisional Magistrate, Margao, on Monday noon, to resolve the stalemate between the Margao wholesale fish market traders and the sopo contractor which has resulted in fish scarcity in the markets for the last four days.
The scarcity has been attributed to the decision by the wholesalers not to import fish from across the state till the authorities, including the SGPDA, ensure transparency in the sopo collection in the market.
The SDM has issued letters to the parties to the dispute and has also requested the SGPDA officials to attend the meeting since the PDA is the owner of the wholesale fish market.
The SDM had convened a meeting on Friday last, but it did not yield any result as the SGDPA and the sopo contractor were not represented during the discussion.
The dispute between the wholesalers and the sopo contractor arose after the traders accused the latter of harassment and extortion. The contractor, Milagres Fernandes, on the other hand, rubbished the allegations as false and baseless.
Matters came to a head mid-last week when the traders stopped paying sopo to the contractor and instead made a cheque payment to the SGPDA. The contractor locked the market, barring the exit of the fish vehicles till the traders cleared the sopo payment.
The SGDPA, however, had rejected the cheque payment saying that the contractor is authorized by the PDA to collect the sopo fees in the market.
“The fish traders are ready to resume operations in the market but the authorities should ensure that the SGPDA takes steps to stop the harassment,” stated M Ibrahim, President of the Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association.
Ibrahim also demanded that the SGPDA set in motion the process of tendering the sopo contract, insisting that the latter cannot continue with the temporary arrangements for months.
