MARGAO: The recent incident of Rs 50,000 going missing from a drawer in MMC’s tax department has raised serious concerns about the safety of the Municipal Council building. A group of concerned citizens has come forward and demanded that political leaders and the government take immediate action to ensure the safety and proper functioning of the building.
Speaking to reporters, former Chairperson Savio Coutinho expressed his frustration, highlighting that the missing cash is just the latest example of the Municipal Council building being unsafe in all respects. He stated that he had been requesting a fire audit of the building for several years, but nothing had been done despite the passing of resolutions. He also pointed out that the counter where fees are accepted is exposed to incidents of theft due to inadequate safety measures.
Coutinho was shocked to learn that one of the CCTV cameras installed at the counter was not functioning. He stressed that if the camera had been operational, the culprit could have been easily caught.
He emphasized the need to address safety concerns, including issues related to cash and fire, and called on political leaders, council members, and the Chief Officer to take immediate action to remedy this.
However, Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar has denied that the CCTV cameras are non-functional, claiming that all cameras are in working condition.
He added that the Margao Municipal Council has handed over video footage to the police team for further investigation and that the town police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Coutinho pointed out that the increase in sanitation fees by 50 percent has also raised concerns about the financial position of the civic body. Several citizens of Margao have decided not to pay the fees, which may further impact the finances of the civic body.
