VASCO
Former Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) chief officer turned Congress leader Elvis Gomes on Saturday hit out at the State government over the delay in salaries to the MMC staff and said the government should not withhold octroi at a time when staff of several civic bodies were deprived of their basic salaries, especially during a festive season.
“Salary issue of MMC staff is an artificial and man-made issue and reflects the failure of the BJP Government. The MMC staff strike is almost becoming a regular affair and in their previous strike, I had maintained that there can never be an issue like no money for salary. Government officials are taking their salaries on time while the poor staff are being neglected,” said Gomes.
“MMC has a huge jurisdiction and maximum petroleum products are sold from here and a huge amount is collected in octroi from Vasco. The government is taking this octroi and is keeping it with them. This octroi has to be released from time to time to the municipal council, which will help resolve the issue. The government must release reserve funds to clear salaries and resolve the issue immediately,” said Gomes.
