PANJIM: Over a month after the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) alleged sopo (sitting fee) scam at the municipal market came to light, the CCP on Thursday floated a tender for collection of sopo fees in the state’s capital city.
It is pertinent to note that former Mayor and senior Councillor Uday Madkaikar had alleged a scam in sopo collection by CCP, claiming it ran into lakhs of rupees.
He had shared a 27-seconds video with media persons, wherein he was seen confronting a CCP appointed worker for collecting money in the name of sopo from vendors without giving them paper-receipts.
Following the allegations, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate had assured to outsource the sopo collection so as to remove the CCP staff entirely from the process of collection of sopo.
As per the tender documents the successful bidder will be entrusted with the responsibility to collect the sopo fees from Panjim municipal market (new and old), wholesaler fish vendors and other commodities/goods suppliers, Panjim fish market, fish cutting, Royal Foods lane shops, local vendors (vegetable sellers), Ribandar area, Caranzalem fish market shed, cobblers, street vendors and other areas within CCP jurisdiction.
