Team Herald
VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has laid down rules and regulations on the collection of ‘sopo tax’ (occupation fee) from the vendors operating in its jurisdiction. As per the rules, a vendor has to pay sopo of only Rs 3 per square metre.
However, one of the contractors appointed by the Mormugao Municipal Council has been openly violating the rules by collecting sopo ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 50 per day. These contractors have also been collecting sopo from areas not mentioned in their contract, and the MMC has turned a blind eye to such illegalities.
As per Mormugao Municipal Council records, the Council has appointed few contractors to collect sopo from the vendors operating from several places in Vasco and Mormugao.
The contract letter clearly says that “Sopo shall be collected at the rate of Rs 3 per square metre per day” and “If the bidder commits any breach of any of the terms and conditions of the agreement, then his deposits shall be liable to be forfeited and shall be absolutely at the disposal of the council”.
Surprisingly, a sopo contractor has been collecting sopo at Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30 and even Rs 50 per day from the vendors operating near T B Cunha Chowk in Vasco.
As against the rules, the contractor has been collecting Rs 10 to Rs 20 from coconut sellers, Rs 50 from dry chilly vendors and Rs 100 per week from flower vendors.
Ironically, the MMC has no plan for the collection of sopo from the vendors operating from different locations, and thus, the sopo contractors have also been collecting sopo from areas other than those mentioned in the tender order.
It’s not that the civic body has no clue about the illegality, as on May 23, one Effie Fernandes lodged a complaint with MMC Chief Officer Deepali Naik with all the details of the illegality with proof against the contractor involved. However, action is yet to be taken.
“The moment the issue of illegal sopo collection was brought to my notice, I lodged my complaint with the Mormugao Municipal Council, seeking action against the people involved. Such illegal collection can also be treated as extortion done on behalf of someone from the MMC. However, the MMC is yet to initiate action against the person involved,” Fernandes told Herald.
Meanwhile, when Herald questioned CO Naik as to why the Mormugao Municipal Council was not acting against the contractor, she maintained that, “Earlier, one contractor was collecting sopo on behalf of the Mormugao Municipal Council, but this year we have multiple contractors. I have received the complaint and have been verifying the same.”
She added, “I have also decided to call for a joint meeting of all sopo contractors to ask them to collect sopo as per the rule book, and if any violations are found, then action will be initiated.”
