MAPUSA
In response to mounting agitation from local traders over the unexpected imposition of sanitation fees, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has affirmed its position, asserting that the fee, although long notified, will now be payable by traders.
However, in a bid to ease the financial strain on traders, the MMC has announced a relaxation scheme allowing payments to be made in instalments.
Chairperson of MMC, Nutan Bicholkar, elucidated the council’s stance, clarifying that while the sanitation fee had been formally established approximately three years prior, its enforcement had been delayed until recently.
Bicholkar emphasised the council’s obligation to uphold the existing legislation, asserting that the fees, once mandated, could not be retracted.
“We cannot stop imposition of sanitation fee as it has been notified a couple of years back,” stated Bicholkar.
“We are aware of the problems faced by the traders who have to suddenly pay the accumulated fee. So we have given them relaxation and asked them to pay in instalments,” she added.
The imposition of the sanitation fee has sparked discontent among local traders, prompting appeals to the civic authorities for its withdrawal.
Among the dissenting voices, Councillor and former market chairman, Ashirwad Khorjuvenkar, emerged as a vocal critic, decrying the burden imposed on legitimate businesses vis-à-vis illegal traders enjoying relative impunity.
Khorjuvenkar’s sentiments were echoed by several councillors who condemned the fee hike, particularly its adverse impact on small-scale traders.
Addressing the concerns, a senior officer from the taxation department affirmed the legal validity of the sanitation fee, dismissing any prospects of its withdrawal.
“The council cannot withdraw the sanitation fee as it is duly charged as per the law,” asserted the official, adding: “It has already been gazetted and the council has all the right to collect the fee from the traders.”
Despite the uproar from Mapusa market traders, MMC officials and the council chairperson remained steadfast in their position, reiterating the council’s legal prerogative to enforce the sanitation fee.
However, the offer of instalment payments seeks to assuage the financial burden on traders grappling with the unexpected levy, striking a balance between regulatory compliance and economic relief.
