PANJIM: Consider this irony, the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) last year during the same month had asked the Government of Goa to waive off its electricity bill dues of Rs.3,42,04,934/ for the new market complex in Panjim which government does not have to seem to have sanctioned yet.
On the other hand the government (both central and state) itself owes the CCP over Rs 3 crore in form of house tax dues.
Shocking it may sound, but the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) has a house tax dues of over 7 crore (Rs 7,48,34,403) to be exact) from various companies and government departments.
More importantly, most of the dues are from commercial establishments from EDC Patto plaza.
The biggest defaulter to the CCP house tax is the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) which owes Rs 1,47,05,018, besides the central government agency of Customs & Central Excise which owes Rs 74,65,194.
The tourism department, government of Goa, also owes CCP Rs 1,12,004 while the Department of Information Technology owes Rs 6,24,779.
Another central agency, Govt of India’s Passport office owes CCP Rs 31,47,970.
Kanaka associates, which has a swanky building in EDC Patto complex, owes CCP nearly a crore with figures of Rs 93,17,737 to be exact.
Another big name in computers in Panjim Apex Computer & Engineering owes CCP a whopping Rs 71,26,686 in the form of House tax.
Sanchayani House, a bankrupt insurance company, having an office on Dada Vaidya Road, also owes CCP Rs 70,93,952.
Another city big time business Virani Sales, which has rented its shops to a apparrel store, near Vistar Hotel, has to pay CCP Rs 49,20,894, almost half a crore of rupees.
Interestingly, while people owe CCP in crores, the condition of the corporation has gone from bad to worse due to a financial crunch.
It may be recalled that the CCP, on a number of occasions, during past few years, has been facing a financial crunch and had no funds to pay salaries to its staff, pension to pensioners and honorarium to its councillors. This had forced the CCP Commissioner to encash the fixed deposits of the corporation, so as to arrange the funds, for the aforementioned purpose.
In 2016, the CCP had no funds to pay salaries and the then Mayor had urged the government to release salary grants, which had piled up to over Rs 13 cr.
Couple of days ago, CCP Mayor Uday Madkaikar urged the government to amend the City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002 and provide more powers to the urban local body so that it can penalise people for non-settlement of dues and illegalities.
