Team Herald
SANGUEM: The Sanguem Municipal Council has commenced an intensive drive to collect rent from the shops leased out by the municipality.
SMC Chairperson Romualdo Fernandes informed that since the commencement of the drive on Monday, the municipality collected around Rs 2.50 lakh from the overall dues running into over Rs 60 lakh.
Fernandes informed that majority of the lessees have not paid the rent to the municipality since the year 1992 and this has crippled the functioning of the SMC including the payment to the daily wage municipal workers.
Due to almost empty coffers and attachment of municipal funds to the tune of Rs 12 lakh by the Government for non- payment of employees provided fund dues in time, the wages of the municipal workers has remained unpaid for last three months.
Fernandes also informed that though the SMC had written to the Directorate of Municipal Administration as to whether any rebate could be given to the lessees for payment of long pending dues, the DMA replied in negative and it is now left to the municipality to recover the increasing rent by end of this month.
Fernandes informed that failure to pay the pending arrears by end of July will invite strict action from the municipality including the sealing of the shops.
“The financial position of SMC is literally bad and the non-payment of timely rent by the shop owners has made it all the more precarious,” claimed Fernandes.
He also informed that the residential house owners are questioning over the liberal approach adopted by the council in recovering the dues from the shop owners.
The shop owners on the other hand cry foul. They alleged the municipality has increased the rent manifold with added interest thereon without just calculation.
Chairperson Fernandes however denied the allegation and said that the SMC has increased the rent 5 percent per annum as per the terms cited in the lease agreements.
Meanwhile, the SMC has resolved to renew the lease agreements of only those shop owners who clear the total rent dues in time. “Shop owners who fail to clear the payment of rent dues will not get their agreement renewed,” Fernandes warned.
Meanwhile, ever since Fernandes has taken over the council affairs there has been a marked improvement in the administrative section of the SMC.
The availability of Fernandes for most of the time in office, has also led to certain accountability among the staff members.
Fernandes has kept almost every staff member in the administrative section on their toes and has also appealed to the members of the general public to approach him in the event of their work being delayed by the staff members for no valid reasons.
Fernandes has planned several development projects in the town area including that of renovation of the municipal garden which stands neglected as of now.
