Team Herald 

MARGAO: The special meeting of Margao Municipal Council scheduled on Monday to discuss the multilevel pay parking issue in the town failed to take place due to lack of quorum as only 6 councillors including the chairperson and vice chairperson were present.

Of the other four councillors, the three who owe their allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party are Arthur D’Silva, Rupesh Mahatme and Ketan Kurtakar while Jafar Budhani is an independent. Councillors affiliated to the Congress Party and the Goa Forward Party were conspicuous by their absence.

Chairperson Dr Babita Prabhudessai said all were intimated about the meeting within the stipulated three days and refused to comment on councillors’ absence particularly those affiliated to the Goa Forward Party.

The MMC has proposed to construct a multi level pay parking building in its area which was used as fish market. In fact the work was tendered and a Sangli-based company was awarded the tender in July last year.

However, as Goods and Service Tax was introduced the very next month, the contractor raised an issue as to who will pay the GST and had expressed his inability to pay over Rs 70 lakh. The MMC then got into a tangle of getting the GST calculated and the matter was referred to the PWD.

Even as the PWD calculated the GST various other issues such as the plumbing and electrical items remained as GST and these were not mentioned in the PWD list.

The contract period had expired and needed to be renewed. The contractor was found to be dilly dallying from making a clear statement on the work order and hence it was decided to re-tender the work, Babita added.

The matter will now be taken up at the next council meeting.