MARGAO: The long delay on the part of the South Goa District Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to issue the tender for the sopo tax collection for the wholesale fish market has come under criticism with questions raised about the authority intending to favour certain contractors.
It may be recalled that last year the High Court had instructed the SGPDA to float a tender for the sopo contract. Furthermore, three months ago, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane announced that an inquiry would be initiated as to how SGPDA had given the sopo contract in the past without completing the tender process.
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The issue of the sopo tax collection has been the reason behind frequent clashes between wholesale fish traders, the previous sopo contractor and the SGPDA officials who are at present collecting the sopo tax.
The fresh tendering process got delayed after the SGPDA board meeting where SGPDA Chairman Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar agreed to consider a proposal for adding conditions to the tender.
SGPDA board members had asked that conditions similar to the ones placed by the Margao Municipal Council and Mormugao Municipal Council for the sopo collection in their respective jurisdictions, be incorporated in the wholesale fish market sopo tax collection tender.
However, in Margao Municipality, there has been strong opposition from the majority of the councillors as well as the Chief Officer for inserting an experience clause in the contract on the grounds that it limits the number of bidders and rules out many of the interested bidders.
