QUEPEM: With or without insurance, the chances of falling into a pit – literally- before you pay you pay your commercial taxes, are very high.
A newly-built soak pit near the entrance of the Commercial Tax office located in Quepem, has caused gaping holes at multiple places, posing severe risk to the visitors.
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A few days ago an elderly person tripped and fell into the hole and had to be rushed to a hospital.
The department serves residents of Quepem and Sanguem talukas for registration and tax payment purposes.
Despite having their own building, the department now faces numerous problems. There is a soak pit behind the building that is full. In response, flat owners have built a new septic tank in front of the department, which has partially collapsed. The sewage water is overflowing and the tank is also on the verge of collapsing.
“The building already had a soak pit behind it, but it is full. Now, with the permission of former Chief Officer Manthan Naik, the new septic tank was built,” Councillor Dayesh Naik said. “With the pit on the verge of collapsing, there is a possibility that people may fall in it,” warned Councillor Naik
The visitors are now facing numerous hardships as the overflowing sewage from the septic tank is posing a severe health hazard. There is also danger of visitors and local residents falling in the pit.
Additionally, the soil extracted during the pit’s construction has been left at the entrance of the department, which is spreading everywhere and causing problems for people visiting the department.
Moreover, due to poor construction quality, a portion of the concrete entrance has broken off and created a gaping hole. To alert the people, department workers have placed wooden sticks inside the holes. But according to department workers, despite this, one person fell and got injured,
There is also a lot of loose muck lying in front of the entrance, which was brought for some construction work but has not been removed. The entire entrance looks shabby.
Councillor Dayesh Naik said that he had objected to the construction of the soak pit. He had advised the last Chief Officer of Quepem Municipal Council to seek TCP approval for the construction, but this advice was denied, and the Chief Officer gave his own permission, which Naik claims is totally illegal.
The Jackcruzman Building is located at Catta-Amona, Quepem, which was part of Curchorem, before being integrated into the Quepem constituency in 2012. The ground floor of this building was purchased by the government five years ago to house the Commercial Tax office, which was previously located near the Community Health Centre in Curchorem on a rental basis.
