MARGAO
The Cuncolim Municipal Council (CMC) on Friday passed the annual budget for the financial year 2016-17 with a provision of Rs 50 lakh made for air-conditioning and renovation of the municipal hall.
The meeting which was marked by the absence of five opposition councillors, of which two councillors Ashok Phade and Premdeep Desai staged a walkout, also saw the absence of Chief Officer Pandarinath Naik.
The meeting chaired by Chairperson Lavita Mascarenhas discussed the budget proposals for the coming financial year. While the CMC has earmarked an amount of Rs 50 lakh for the air-conditioning and renovation of the Municipal hall, a provision of Rs 50 lakh was made for the replacement and laying of a new joggers track at the football ground.
The CMC requested the accounts department to give a break-up of the salary payments made to four different type of employees “ government officials, common cadre, municipal staff and daily wage workers.
Briefing the media after the meeting, CMC Vice Chairperson Mario Moraes said that the Council has not revised the house tax nor has any decision been taken to club the garbage collection fees of Rs 30 per month with the house tax. “The Council has decided not to make payment of garbage fees compulsory. We have only appealed to the people to pay the garbage collection fees voluntarily," he said.
He said the CMC has taken strong reservation to the budget estimates wherein nothing has been shown on the revenue side from the sale of garbage items during the financial year 2015-16. “This is a serious matter and the Council has asked the administration to find out why no revenue has been shown on the budgets estimates on the sale of garbage items when the civic body has been disposing off the waste from time to time," Moraes said, adding that the Council will be forced to lodge a police complaint with a plea for a detailed probe into the episode.
