Team Herald
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council (MMC) Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik today issued a public notice informing people that if they have not paid their house tax and sanitation fees their garbage will not be collected, a notice that the Shadow Council of Margao termed as an attempt to hoodwink the National Green Tribunal.
The notice acknowledges that as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, the council is supposed to collect segregated waste from all houses and further points out that segregation at source is the responsibility of the waste generator.
However, he pointed out that despite repeated reminders many households and business establishments have not paid their taxes or fees regularly and hence said the waste collection workers, supervisors and staff have been asked to check if the household or establishment has paid the taxes and sanitation fees and only on verification of this, to collect their waste.
He appealed to people to co-operate with the municipal council and show the receipts of having paid their taxes and sanitation fees when asked for.
However, Shadow Council for Margao termed this notice as nothing but an eyewash.
Shadow Council for Goa, Convener Savio Coutinho asked how the council will deal with the various households and business enterprises that are not taxed in the city as they have not yet been assessed for their tax and pointed out that such dwellings are found in the slums, government quarters and even MMC owned premises in the two markets.
He said these unassessed units are enjoying free waste collection services at the cost of the loyal tax payers and lamented that the council has not done anything to assess these establishments for the last two years since the time they raised the issue.
Further he alleged that the MMC does not have proper date on the various type of waste generators in the city and accused it of only making announcements which have not been implemented and questioned whether the findings of the survey of ward No. 14 that was undertaken last year has been acted upon.
