The SCM has stated that they were shocked at the care-a-damn attitude of the Margao Municipal Council, which boasted of taking the town ‘forward’ or making a ‘model Margao’.
“The city is not going forward, but instead, the citizens are being taken for a ride,” said Savio Coutinho of SCM.
SCM further stated that the local MLAs were not only associate members of the MMC, but they also controlled the Council’s decisions.
“Hence, they owe an explanation to the loyal taxpayers of Margao as to the reasons for not getting their un-assessed vote banks into the ambit of being charged for the garbage collection, but conveniently preferring to burden the assessed tax payers. We have been demanding data collection of the various types of premises in the town for the last six months. By now, the exercise would have been completed, had it to begin,” said Coutinho.
He added, “Over 80 percent of business establishments in the town do not have trade licences. As such, how is the MMC going to collect the fees as per the slabs fixed for the different types of establishments?”
SCM has claimed that the MMC is not serious about securing its own revenue, and that is the reason no action has been initiated in the Shadow Council’s complaint of siphoning of funds.
“Thus, we are forced to conclude that this Council is also a beneficiary to all the ills plaguing it,” said Coutinho.
