‘Margao councillors should be fined for not paying fees for their festive hoardings’

Team Herald

MARGAO: The hoardings and banners bearing festive greetings erected in Margao over the past week have brought the conduct of the city fathers and political leaders under the scanner, with the Shadow Council for Margao (SCM) seeking details of permissions granted, and fees collected by the Municipality, towards the hundreds of banners and signboards that dot the landscape of the commercial capital. 

Savio Coutinho, Convenor of SCM, on Tuesday demanded fines to be imposed on all the unauthorised banner displays by MMC representatives.  

At a time when the Margao Municipal Council has raised concerns over the Rs 35 crore in outstanding dues from taxpayers, SSCM has urged the civic body representatives from Margao to first set an example for the citizens, by paying the applicable fees for the display of their own hoardings. 

“This is not the first time we have had to remind our representatives about their responsibility,” said Coutinho.  

He recalled that they had taken up this issue during the previous term as well, and though the councillors then chose to ignore the complaints, they were compelled to pay their taxes as they could not obtain the no-dues certificate necessary to contest the election.  

“It is our demand that the Chief Officer imposes fines or penalty for all the unauthorised hoarding displays by the Margao representatives, in order to ensure that our representatives will realise and remember their responsibility,” said Coutinho.  

“We have also been pointing out that while the Council is losing revenue, the burden of the disposal of such non-biodegradable waste like these flex banners, again becomes the responsibility of the Council at the cost of public funds,” he lamented. 

Coutinho alleged that the civic body’s representatives were more interested in self-advertisements through these banners bearing their photographs, rather than wishing the people, irrespective of which religious festival it is. 

Coutinho said that SCM has collected documentary evidence by way of photographs of all the hoardings erected by the MMC’s representatives, and they will follow up on the matter until the dues are recovered along with applicable penalties. This becomes essential at a time when the MMC is knocking on citizens’ doors to recover outstanding taxes and fees, he added.