Team Herald
MARGAO: Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday said that the State government will be initiating an inquiry into how the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) had given the sopo contract for the wholesale fish market without completing the tender process.
“It has come to my notice that the sopo contract was given to the SGPDA in Margao without competing the due procedure. The department will initiate enquiry into this matter and strict action will be taken against the Member Secretary and others. As per my understanding, there is a high court order for tendering of Sopo and the action taken by the Member Secretary is in violation of the high court order,” said Rane.
This statement comes against the backdrop of the recent revelation made by the new SGPDA Chairman Krishna Daji Salkar about various financial irregularities at the SGPDA, where the Authority had not cleared dues with other government departments like Power. Salkar had already issued orders for the SGPDA to carry out the sopo collection themselves until the tender process is completed. Other SGPDA members criticised the way the sopo contract was handled and the overall financial mismanagement on the part of the Authority.
It may also be recalled that the fish traders from the wholesale fish market had taken the SGPDA to the High Court where an order was given for a tendering process to be carried out to select a new Sopo contractor. However, SGPDA had persisted with the old contractor until Salkar passed orders after chairing his first board meeting and inspecting the wholesale fish market and the other retail market that is also run by SGPDA.
