MARGAO: Five persons from Margao including former Chairperson Savio Coutinho have filed a writ petition against the Margao Municipal Council for only taxing the legal tax payers with sanitation fee while not collecting any taxes from the illegal occupants who also generate garbage.
The High Court has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Director of Municipal Administration and Margao Municipal Council in this matter filed by Savio Coutinho, Hemant D Kavlekar, Chandraprakash Jaggi, Pio Baretto and Domnic Coutinho.
Speaking to media persons Savio Coutinho pointed out that the occupants of the various government quarters in the town are not taxed nor sanitation fees are collected from them even though they generate garbage.
“There are 1000 apartments in the various government quarters like the police quarters, electricity dept quarters, irrigation dept quarters PWD quarters and Junta quarters,” he said.
Besides, he pointed out that there are many commercial establishments in the city which are not paying trade tax and hence are not charged the sanitation fees. “The council is losing annually around Rs. 4 crore by not collecting these taxes,” he said.
Pointing out that the council has now changed the taxation process by levying it on the area, he said the council does not have record of all the establishments and their size because of which the application seeking this information made under RTI has not been replied to till date.
“The so called meeting that the council had with people on the sanitation fees a few days back was a farce as only those who will keep quite were invited,” he said.
