MARGAO: Expressing deep concern over the disappearance of a crucial file related to the sopo collection tender, a group of citizens has filed a written complaint with the Director for Municipal Administration (DMA), urging them to direct the Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council to file an FIR and enlist police help to trace the file.
In their complaint, citizens also alleged that corruption within the civic body persists due to leniency on the part of the DMA’s office.
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Lalan Parsekar, a Margao resident, questioned the council’s revenue losses, especially when smaller towns are reaping significant income from sopo collection. Parsekar pointed out that the MMC may have suffered a loss of over Rs one crore since July 2022.
“We have brought to the notice of the DMA how the Margao Municipal Council has been handling the Sopo Collection departmentally since July 2022, despite knowing that the expenses related to municipal staff salaries exceed the actual collection reported and deposited in the Municipal treasury,” said former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho.
According to Coutinho, the council invited bids for sopo collection rights for the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, with an initial price of Rs 77,00,000. The auction was scheduled for March 14, 2023, but no bidders came forward, and the auction did not take place.
Coutinho expressed shock that instead of rescheduling the auction, the tender file mysteriously disappeared and remains untraceable to this day. He suggested that vested interests within the council may be benefiting from this situation and are reluctant to auction the collection rights.
In response to this situation, citizens have demanded that the DMA’s office immediately instruct the Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council to file an FIR regarding the missing sopo collection file and conduct an inquiry into the significant revenue loss suffered by the council.
Architect Carlos Gracias also raised concerns about the preparation of a master plan for Margao by the GSUDA (Goa State Urban Development Agency) without involving citizens and the local body. He questioned the need for a master plan when an Outline Development Plan (ODP) already exists and called for government clarification on this matter.
