TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PONDA: Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) on Friday awarded the Sopo collection contract to a private party for Rs 52.91 lakh.
The contract, which was awarded during the auction at the PMC office, will be from April 1 to March 31, 2014.
“There were six bidders and the contract was awarded to the highest bidder (Rs 52.91 lakh). The contractor has to abide by the prevailing rates of Sopo fees collection from vendors,” said PMC Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes.
It s learnt that the Sopo rates are Rs 5 per square metre.
It may be recalled that last year, after a failed attempt to collect Sopo on its own, PMC had auctioned Sopo fees collection contract to a private party for Rs 28.95 lakh from September 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013.
The decision was taken after PMC councillors unanimously resolved to collect Sopo fees by deploying municipal staff following complaints from market vendors of overcharging of Sopo fees by the contractor.
The move backfired as PMC found it difficult to deploy staff to manage Sopo fees collection and there was a revenue loss. PMC reportedly collected on an average Rs 2.71 lakh from Sopo fees from April to August last year.
Incidentally, the Sopo collection contract for 2011-12 was awarded to a private party for Rs 61.20 lakhs.
