MARGAO
As the Legislative Assembly played host to a debate on the Geographic Information System (GIS) survey to mop up revenue and enrich the coffers of the civic bodies, ground reality at the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) does not inspire much confidence in these surveys.
For, inquiries by The Goan have shown that the GIS survey report submitted by the agency to the MMC way back in March 2018 is untraceable in the Portuguese-era municipal building. While senior officials feign ignorance about the GIS survey report and its revenue projections, officials manning the Municipal taxation section admit in private that the report is not found in the municipal building.
That’s not all. Another shocking revelation has come to light in the MMC. Leave alone the GIS survey, many a survey undertaken by the MMC with much fanfare over the years to tap revenue from unlicensed business establishments and unauthorised structures, have all been confined to the dusty record books.
Blame it on lack of political will or simply apathy and indifference in the corridors of the civic body, the GIS report nor the other survey reports have ever been implemented by the MMC. This is despite the fact that the GIS report had projected huge revenue earning potential running into crores of rupees from a single municipal ward.
The GIS Survey
The MMC had carried out the GIS survey in ward No 14 as a pilot project during the tenure of former Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai when Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai was controlling the civic body. The avowed objective was simple -- to assess the unassessed business establishments operating sans the mandatory trade licence and other taxes.
Given that the GIS report had projected handsome revenue to the civic body, the natural outcome of the survey in the municipal corridors was to implement the report as a top priority, but in vain.
Since 2018 to date, nearly half a decade since the GIS survey was submitted to the MMC, the very report is not traceable in the municipal building.
When The Goan called up former Administration and Accounts Officer, who has since retired from service, Elekar to shed light on the GIS report, he says the report should be in the custody of then Accounts and Taxation officer Abay Rane. Rane, who now heads the Taxation section as the Administration cum Accounts officer says the GIS report is not found in the taxation section.
Questions are being raised why the agency, which had compiled the report, has not been approached to make available a copy of the report to the civic body for implementation.
Former MMC Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, who was instrumental in engaging the private agency to conduct the GIS survey, said the survey was conducted with the avowed objective to mop up the untapped revenue, running into crores of rupees. “Sadly, the GIS survey report was not implemented after my exit for reasons best known to the Powers that be”, she added.
Fate of similar surveys
The fate of surveys conducted by the MMC over the years, specifically to issue house numbers to illegal and unauthorised structures under the plea of collecting garbage fees remains unknown.
Survey reports stacked in bundles were all dumped atop the cupboards in the past, but the fate of these documents remains unknown.
In one such survey, the MMC had engaged youth on a daily basis to fan out to all the municipal wards over a decade ago to compile the list of illegal and unauthorised houses to explore the possibility of issuing them the house numbers to collect garbage tax.
In the survey report, officials in the know informed had never seen the light of the day, leave alone implementing the findings.
The latest 2023 survey
When the MMC effected a 50 per cent hike in garbage fees from this financial year in April, the ruling dispensation sought to dilute the resentment brewing amongst honest taxpayers by announcing that the civic body would survey the municipal markets, the New Market and Gandhi market.
Three months down the line, the survey stands complete, but the moot question remains unanswered “ has the MMC implemented the survey report in letter and spirit to date? or Has the report been confined to the Municipal records books?
The Powers that be controlling the MMC had further sought to reassure the honest taxpayers that the civic body would soon survey all illegal houses and establishments in the commercial capital to bring them under the tax next without bestowing them any legal status, throwing up a simple question “ has the MMC initiated the survey to bring all illegal houses under the tax net, including the sanitation tax?
Survey reveals huge loss to MMC
MARGAO
The GIS survey conducted by a private agency Transerve in Ward No 14, having its jurisdiction in the heart of the commercial town, had revealed that the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) had lost revenue to the tune of crores of rupees by way of house tax, trade licenses, fees on displaying signboards et al.
The survey report which was published by The Goan on the March 29, 2018, edition of the newspaper had dished out statistics, suggesting a huge gap, between the actual establishments operating on the ground and those registered with the civic body, indicating that the municipality has lost precious revenue over the years.
Consider this. The survey had pegged the total number of properties in ward no 14 to around 5,410 structures, while the municipal records had shown only around 4,441 structures, a huge difference of 1,000 structures.
Revenue-wise, the municipality had lost precious revenue from this serious lapse. While the revenue from the 4,441 properties was pegged at Rs 40.30 lakh in 2018, the survey has come out with a startling figure, stating that the civic body would have earned around Rs 3.16 crore as house tax from the 5410 properties in the ward.
The situation in respect of the commercial premises and trade tax revenue earned by the civic body was no different. While the MMC data has put the number of commercial establishments in ward no 14 to 1,617, data collected by the agency shows the ward plays host to around 2,358 establishments, a difference of 741 establishments. On the revenue front, the Margao municipality has lost huge revenue from trade tax. While the MMC tax details show a revenue of Rs 8.46 lakh by way of trade tax, a survey has put the revenue on this front to Rs 12.34 lakh.
The situation vis-Ã -vis the signboards is no different. While the MMC statistics have put the total signboards to around 1,401, around 3,960 signboards find a mention in the survey conducted by the private agency, again a loss of revenue to the civic body.
The Margao municipality has been also caught napping on the collection of sanitation fees from ward No 14. While the MMC data has put the sanitation fee figure to Rs 84,07,200, the survey has put the revenue on this head to a whopping Rs 1.48 crore.
During the survey, the agency came across many establishments in some commercial buildings, which have not been assessed for house tax by the civic body or remained closed. Take the case of the Reliance Trade Centre. Around 156 establishments, all commercial, have been found in the complex, of which only 15 establishments were found paying house tax, while only 45 shops were found open in the complex.
