VASCO: While the much needed amendment in Municipalities Act that would allow subletting of municipal premises is likely to pass in the forthcoming assembly session, the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has decided to be one steps ahead by issuing an order to conduct a survey to find out whether its premises/shops are occupied by original lessee or by third party.
Most of the buildings owned by MMC is primly located and has been given on lease at nominal rates. Time and again MMC Councillors have discussed about the subletting of municipal premises by original owners. On the other hand, the municipality has also failed to take up any repairs due to which majority of the municipal buildings are in dilapidated condition.
MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes said, “We have decided to conduct a survey to identify how many of our shops and other residential premises have been sublet by the original owners and how many original owners are actually occupying our premises. We have come to know that majority of our premises have been either sublet or transferred to third parties by the original owners under some mutual agreement, which is illegal. Under the Municipal Act our premises can be only transferred to blood relatives and not to third parties. Due to subletting, the MMC is not getting any revenue,” Fernandes said.
MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik said, “95 per cent of the Municipal owned premises have been sublet and MMC is not getting any revenue out of it. We have already taken steps to sort out the issue by requesting the Director of Municipal Administration to give us powers to transfer municipal premises in name of those occupying our premises. The Municipalities Act in this regard will be amended in the forthcoming assembly session and after that we will transfer our premises to the sub-lessee by imposing transfer fees and this will fetch some revenue to MMC.”
