Team Herald
MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) tender for Sopo collection, scheduled to open on December 16, has been cancelled due to technical issues.
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Sources stated that one of these reasons included the omission of the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) requirement in the tender document.
Incidentally, this decision to cancel the tender, follows strong opposition from activists and stakeholders, who had raised concerns about procedural lapses and alleged political interference.
Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) Convenor Savio Coutinho welcomed the cancellation, calling it a victory for accountability but criticised the MMC for creating delays by not adhering to proper procedures.
The controversy surrounding the tender stems from several isssues linked to MMC’s handling of sopo tax collection. The council had recently issued a tender valued at Rs 69.3 lakh, requiring contractors to provide certificates from chartered accountants confirming a minimum turnover of Rs 70 lakh. While the MMC claimed the revised terms would ensure experienced contractors, critics argued that these stringent conditions were designed to exclude genuine bidders. The lack of an EMD, a crucial safeguard to ensure bidder commitment, added to the concerns over transparency and fairness in the process.
Over the years, Sopo collection has been a contentious issue within the MMC, with frequent delays in appointing contractors and accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Coutinho, also former MMC Chairperson, has repeatedly alleged departmental fraud during Sopo collection. He also questioned why the EMD was not forfeited when a previous bidder failed to complete the tender process.
The MMC’s decision to shift the Sopo collection contract from a financial year to a calendar year was seen as an attempt to streamline operations, but the timing and execution have drawn criticism. With the tender now cancelled, concerns over accountability and efficient governance persist
