Team herald

MARGAO: Former Margao Municipal Council (MMC) chairperson Savio Coutinho alerted the residents of Margao, Fatorda and Curtorim (areas which fell within Municipal limits) that the MMC might include waste-collection fees in the house tax.

He stated the proposal to include the fees had been rejected by earlier councils for several genuine reasons. “First and foremost, there are houses paying Rs100 as house tax yearly. If fees are added at the rate of Rs 30 per month, it will increase to Rs 460 per year. He continued, “Apart from the legally-assessed houses and commercial premises, there are over 10,000 un-assessed premises, nd MMC has no record whatsoever of them. Does it mean that only the assessed tax payers have to bear the costs as always, while the others enjoy free services as usual?”

Coutinho also charged that the council, instead of lending a hand to the SHGs for saving Rs 18 lakh of expenditure per month, was doing everything to see that the system collapsed.

He also claimed certain vested interests were working overtime to outsource the waste-collection system so as to benefit a certain high-profile company.