MARGAO: The South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s (SGPDA) Rs 3.88 crore wholesale fish market sopo fee collection tender could see changes as the contentious 10-year ‘fishing business’ experience clause might be removed, potentially causing a further two-month delay in awarding the tender.
According to SGPDA chairman Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department has agreed to allow the controversial clause to be deleted, giving way to a fresh tender without this condition. Salkar expressed optimism, stating that the SGPDA would soon initiate a new e-tender for prospective bidders to submit their proposals.
The inclusion of a 10-year fishing business requirement in the e-tender had sparked concerns among bidders who questioned its relevance to market sopo fees and market maintenance.
Responding to these concerns, the SGPDA had earlier sought the Town and Country Planning’s intervention to relax this clause, but had faced rejection.
Due to this, SGPDA was supposed to take a call on the tenders before the end of 2023 with the controversial clause as the deadline had passed on December 29. Around 10 bidders had participated in the tender process.
However, the situation has now changed with Salkar’s assertion that the TCP has agreed to drop the clause, making it possible for eligible bidders, even new ones, to participate. This development would also address the concerns that had been raised by those who had shown interest in the initial bidding process as well. They had hoped their bids would not be disqualified due to this clause.
It is to be noted though that despite this development, the entire tendering process is expected to encounter further delays as SGPDA would need additional time to issue a new e-tender, collect bids, and proceed with the selection process.
As a result, the overall timeline for the tender may extend beyond the initial schedule, with three months already lost in bargain given that the initial tender had been launched in September.
It may be recalled that even before this latest e-tender process, the issue of tendering the sopo collection of the wholesale fish market has been dragging on for years.
The matter had even reached the High Court which had directed the SGPDA to tender the sopo collection.
While SGPDA was asked to discontinue its earlier system of outsourcing the sopo collection to a contractor without a tender, the authority has been collecting the sopo fees from vendors on its own.
However, this too has been met with a lot of opposition from traders and vendors who have complained of various malpractices, something that has been denied by the SGPDA.
Salkar believes that there will be an end to controversies once the sopo tendering process is completed and the new system is put in place.
