MARGAO: Accusing the sopo collector of Margao municipality of extorting money in the name of pay parking, traditional fishermen on Wednesday along with president of Goa Fishing Boat Owners’ Association and NCP leader Jose Philip D’Souza during a protest at the wholesale fish market demanded that sopo collector be arrested immediately.
They condemned the assault on traditional fishermen by the workers of sopo collector for not paying Rs 50 as a parking fee which was reported on Sunday.
A delegation of traditional fishermen including Harshad Dond, Director of Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Co-operative Society, Jacinto Gurjao, general secretary, Vasco Fishing Boat Owners’ Society, and others met Kapil Nayak, Police Inspector Fatorda; Lyndon Pereira, Chairperson MMC and Agnelo Fernandes, Chief Officer and demanded action.
They also accused the Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai of allegedly being involved in the extortion scam, besides the police. However, the MMC chairperson feigned ignorance on the issue of extorting money in the name of parking fees.
It is alleged that the sopo collector is even collecting money from the people who come to buy the fish for parking their vehicles by the roadside.
Without notification how can MMC’s sopo collector collect fees from the fishermen and others, the fishermen questioned. They said in future such incidents will not be tolerated.
In the morning Jose Philip along with other traditional fishermen visited the wholesale fish market and launched a protest over the issue. Later they met PI Kapil Nayak and demanded that the Sopo collector be arrested for assaulting the traditional fishermen and also for extorting money. Later, they rushed to the municipality and met the chairperson and chief officer.
Speaking to the media persons D’Souza said this is a clear cut issue of extortion.
“Sopo collectors engaged by MMC are openly collecting fees from the traditional fishermen and others for parking their vehicles by the roadside. The workers of the sopo collector had even assaulted a fisherman for refusing to pay and asking for a legal payment slip”, he said.
He urged the police to investigate the matter and arrest the culprits.
Stanley Fernandes, who sustained injuries in the assault, said the workers of the sopo collector assaulted him when he refused to pay for parking.
“I had parked my vehicle on the roadside near the wholesale fish market. They demanded Rs 50 as a parking fees to which I refused. I asked them to show the pay parking board and issue a legal slip. Thereafter they assaulted me “, he claimed.
Harshad Dhond, another fisherman said this is nothing but extortion of money from the MMC sopo collector.
“Where is the notification or the board displaying the road marked as a pay parking area? How can they collect money from the people without any notification? This is a big scam and all including Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and police are involved in it”, he alleged.
Traditional fishermen threatened to take law into their hands if the police failed to arrest the sopo collector immediately.
MMC chairperson Lyndon Pereira said the civic body has not appointed any individual to collect parking fees at wholesale fish market and the sopo collector is not allowed to do so.
“I don’t know if anybody or the sopo collector of MMC is involved in collecting fees for parking the vehicles by the roadside. The civic body has not notified any area in Margao as a pay parking”, he said.
The chairperson assured to investigate the matter.
