CCP came into existence in 2003, but does not have by-laws in place. Earlier this month, the Corporation appointed former collector Agarwal to draft by-laws for SWM (management and handling), recruitment rules for filling of posts, building by-laws, sale of articles in the streets and trade and occupation licencing and other by-laws related to the Corporation.
“There is no deadline set for completing the work but we have asked him to submit it as early as possible,” Commissioner Deepak Desai told media persons after the council’s meeting on Thursday.
The erstwhile Panjim Municipal Council (PMC) was upgraded to the city corporation in 2003.
Earlier during the meeting, the Commissioner informed the Council, that he has urged Agarwal to provide necessary recommendations for amending the existing Act.
The meeting witnessed heated arguments on the Corporation’s failure to conduct criminal proceedings in the municipal market illegalities as pointed by the Agarwal Committee in 2015, and resolved to deposit Rs 1.7 crore with the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to acquire land for constructing the third phase of the municipal market.
The government, through CCP, has already deposited Rs 90 lakh with EDC for the same and another Rs 1.7core have to be deposited by the end of July. “Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act has already been declared and will lapse in the first week of July. Before that we have to deposit the amount or the project will get further halt,” Desai said. The third phase of the market would be coming up on an area of 900 sq mts.
The corporators, ruling and opposition, grilled Mayor Surendra Furtado and the Commissioner for failing to act on the recommendations of the Agarwal Committee that pointed out almost 90 percent of the shops allotted in the market are illegal. “Why has CCP not filed any criminal case against the illegal occupants? Why no recovery of dues has been done? Why has accountability not been fixed?” councilors, including ruling’s corporator Daya Karapurkar and the opposition’s Rupesh Halarnkar and Pundalik Raut Dessai asked.
They pointed out that illegal sale deeds are being done, keeping the Corporation in the dark. They urged that criminal cases be filed against CCP officials and market occupants for illegalities.
Responding to this, the Commissioner said CCP has already issued eviction notices to around 200 occupants under the Public Premises Act and another 100 notices would be issued soon. “The High Court had asked us to initiate action within six months that lapsed in January. On Monday I am submitting affidavit in the Court on the action taken report,” he said.
