MARGAO
The Margao Wholesale Market Association has demanded the intervention of the government to direct the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to tender the sopo collection in the wholesale fish market.
The association has further decided to approach the South Goa District Collector to take cognizance of the situation in the market and to avert a law and order situation.
Addressing the media, Association President M Ibrahim said that neither the SGPDA has any plans to float a tender inviting bidders for the collection of sopo fees nor has the government issued any instructions to the body to float the tender.
He pointed out that the SGPDA had appointed Milagres Fernandes to collect the sopo fees from the wholesale fish market for a period of three months, adding that the PDA has so far failed to invite tenders for the collection of the sopo fees.
“The PDA had last planned to start work on the collection of sopo fees departmentally by removing Milagres. After Milagres approached the court, the PDA is not quite on the question of floating the tender,” he said, while demanding transparency in the collection of sopo fees.
Ibrahim pointed out that while the PDA on one hand is continuing with the services of the sopo contractor, the PDA has not considered the association’s application to pay an amount of Rs 5 lakh to the PDA per month in lieu of allocating 50 per cent of the market to the association.
He further lamented that the PDA has till date not considered the application made by the association to refund the sopo fees charged by the authority.
“We do not know why the PDA is sleeping when it comes to the question of inviting tenders to collect the sopo fees. We are surprised that the bureaucrats are also not interested in inviting bids to collect the fees,” he said, while making an appeal to the Chief Minister to put things in order in the wholesale fish market.
