TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: In a significant decision which might raise eyebrows amongst boat owners, South Goa Planning and Development Authority on Friday decided to scrap the wholesale fish market sopo tender.
At a meeting of the PDA held this morning, it was also decided to conduct a survey of the wholesale fish market for two months to assess the revenue generation and the number of vendors and wholesalers using the market.
PDA Member Secretary Vinod Kumar told Herald that one reason attributed by the authority to scrap the sopo tender is the delay by the Fisheries Department to submit details sought by the PDA on the experience cited by the bidders in undertaking similar works at jetties. Secondly, he said, the authority wanted to find out revenue generation by way of sopo in the wholesale fish market, adding that the survey will determine the extent of revenue that can be moped up in the market.
Boat owners from Cutbona and Vasco had made a strong bid to take over the sopo collection and maintenance of SGPDA’s wholesale fish market this financial year. In fact, boat owners had cried foul over the inordinate delay by the PDA to award the contract after bids by the boat owners had turned out to be the highest.
Meanwhile, PDA member and MLA Vijai Sardessai has said that none of the 42 construction files, including some controversial files, were taken up for discussion at today’s meeting. He said that discussions on these files will take place only after inspection of the sites, adding the PDA is supposed to take care of the needs of the aam admi and not the khas aadmi (builders).
The PDA also decided to give FAR benefit to residents of Fatorda, whose houses and structures are listed for demolition on account of widening of the road from Ambaji to Agalli.
In another decision, the PDA has okayed around 48 sq mts of space for the prayer room in its garage for the benefit of the market vendors. This was conveyed to a delegation of market vendors led by Adv Anacleto Viegas and Felix Gonsalves who called on the PDA to ascertain the status of the prayer hall.
