PONDA: The decision to collect ‘sopo tax’ by its own staff has backfired on the Ponda municipal council (PMC) within just four months.

Alleging that the private contractors charged exorbitant rates, the PMC
had started collecting ‘sopo’ fees on their own by appointing six
personnel dedicated for the purpose since April this year. Four months
after its decision, the civic body has realized that it was not viable
as the cost of expenditure was more than the income from the ‘sopo’
fees.

Rukmi Dangui, chairperson of the PMC, briefed mediapersons
in Ponda after the council meeting that the civic body had collected
‘sopo’ fees of 61,20,000 at a rate of 5,10,000 per month during the last
fiscal year when a contractor used to collect the ‘sopo’ fee.But this year, in the first four months, the PMC has earned only 2,50,000 per month on an average.

“This income is very less than the actual cost of expenditure. The PMC
has deputed six personnel and thus the ‘sopo’ collection is not feasible
to the civic body. We have now decided to float the tenders to collect
the ‘sopo’ fees as it was earlier being done,” Dangui said.

The
PMC had taken a decision to ban contractors from collecting ‘sopo’ as
there were allegations that the contractors used to charge exorbitant
rates sometimes as high as 200.The PMC had also awarded the
contract for ‘sopo’ fee collection to a contractor but decided to
withdraw it and deploy staff to collect the same in April 2012.

The PMC had also resolved to collect the ‘sopo’ fees on their own despite getting a bid of 12 lakh more on March 30, 2011.PMC was auctioning the ‘sopo’ fee collection work to outside parties
since the last several years and the PMC had decided not to continue
with it.

But, the PMC had conducted auction of the job and Rumaldo Fernandes,
a resident of Borim had made a highest bid of 61 lakh for the work
against the earlier years bid of 49 lakh. The PMC was gaining a hike of
12 lakh.Then Ponda municipal council chief had also declared
that the earnest money deposited by Fernandes, would be returned to him,
but the then chief officer had allotted the tender to Fernandes, using
his powers.The then chief officer Jayant Tari had stated that the job was not possible for the civic body, a statement, which has now been proved true.