PONDA: Garbage has begun piling up in the Ponda market as the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has failed to collect garbage since the last four days.
According to Kishore Mamlekar, leader of the vendors, the PMC workers were earlier collecting the garbage, but had stopped doing so ever since some vendors had refused to pay the Sopo tax to the Sopo contractor.
Mamlekar said they had discussed the Sopo tax issue with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and he had assured to solve it. “The vendors are ready to pay Sopo tax at Rs 5 per sq mtr, but PMC should not create hardship to the people visiting the market,” he added.
When contacted, PMC Deputy Chairperson Shantaram Colvekar hit back at the agitating vendors for the problem. “The problem has been created because the vendors are not paying the Sopo tax. So how can the PMC collect garbage,” asked Colvekar, but assured to address the issue in the next PMC meeting.
When contacted, Ponda MLA Lavu Mamledar said it is the duty of the PMC and vendors to provide a clean market to the people of Ponda.
