MARGAO: Grappling with revenue losses, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) is once again gearing up to take a definitive decision to hike the rent for shops it owns.
Considering market standards, the civic body is only receiving a negligible amount from the approximately 500 shops in New Market and Gandhi Market. Shockingly, many traders are paying as little as Rs 100 to Rs 300 as monthly rent to the civic body. For several years, some have been paying a monthly rent of Rs 10.
MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar informed O Heraldo that a five-member committee has been constituted to deliberate on the issue in the coming days. “Very shortly, a meeting of the five-member committee will be held to decide on the process for increasing the rent,” he said.
Admitting that many traders are paying as little as Rs 10 as monthly rent, he said that the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) had recently conducted a re-verification of all shops owned by them. They are also initiating the process to renew leases that have been pending for 30 years.
“The official record shows there are approximately 289 shops in New Market and 252 in Gandhi Market. The rent amounts listed for these traders are quite shocking and need to be taken seriously, as the civic body is losing a significant amount of revenue,” said Shirodkar.
In the past, the council extensively discussed the issue, but failed to take a decision regarding the rent hike.
On the other hand, traders from New Market and Gandhi Market are adamant that they will not agree to any rent hike unless regular maintenance of the markets is ensured, along with meeting their other demands.