The CCP is certainly facing an unfair situation. Illegal occupants, sitting on CCP property have been demanding regularisation, even as mounting arrears have crippled the CCP’s ability to pay its own water and power dues. Ironically much of the power is illegally tapped.
The market arrears on water and electricity have crossed over Rs four crores with no revenue coming in as most of the shops have been occupied illegally as no lease agreements have been signed.
However, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has indeed been going all out to sign the long pending lease agreements with legal occupants.
Bound to take action against illegal tenants, the City Corporation will soon initiate a process to seal around 50 shops in the market which have failed to prove their ownership, despite granting sufficient time. Cracking down upon the illegal occupants, CCP had, in October 2016, issued eviction notices to 132 occupants. “We are giving final ultimatum to the tenants; if they don’t agree then we are going to initiate action as per law. We have given them enough opportunity,” CCP Commissioner Deepak Desai said.
“However, the Association came up with a proposal that the lease agreement with the legal occupants would be signed only if CCP agrees to regularise those illegal occupants,” Mayor Furtado said adding “their demand was improper; as 90 per cent of illegal occupants cannot be legalized.”
Furtado said that despite the fact that these tenants have illegally occupied the market space, we assured to consider them after obtaining approval from the State government. “The decision has to be taken by the government. We assured the Association to look into their demand but until then, can start the process of signing the agreement with the legal occupants,” he said.
A Special Committee headed by Mayor constituted to discuss the crucial market issue, had decided that the Leave and Licence agreement for 30 years with licence fee increase of 10 per cent every three years and further increase in rate of licence fee every nine years. It had also agreed that of the payment of arrears is done within two months, and then the interest would be waived off.
When contacted, Panaji Municipal Market Tenants Association General Secretary Dharmendra Bhagat, confirming about their demand, said “these so called illegal occupants have been paying the rent, sopo, etc, ever since they took the possession and hence it’s high time, that CCP consider them for regularisation.”
Claiming that they had proposed CCP about their willingness to sign the agreement at the proposed rent of Rs 256 per sq mtrs, Bhagat said that since 2003, when the new market complex was constructed till 2014, the tenants have paid over Rs 3.65 crore to CCP in the form of sopo, rent, construction and maintenance cost, sinking fund, transfer fees, etc.
“The payment of rent was stopped in 2014, after CCP refused to accept it in absence of a proper lease agreement with the tenants,” he informed.
The Association has called for a meeting on February 27, to discuss the matter with their members.
