A driver of the Mapusa Municipal Council is in the dock and could be dismissed from service after he was caught in an illegal act of collecting garbage from a panchayat area beyond the jurisdiction of the municipality.
The driver was caught red-handed collecting garbage from a scrapyard in Colvale which was beyond his scope of work and therefore an illegal act.
Some councillors including MMC Vice Chairperson, Chandrashekar Benkar who had learnt about the illegal activity being carried out by the driver laid a trap and on Tuesday late evening caught the driver in the act while taking a municipality truck in the scrapyard.
While the councillors said that the truck driver was illegally using the municipality truck to collect waste from the scrapyard for pecuniary benefit, there were others who said that a section of the municipal employees were in business of collecting recycle waste like plastics from the Mapusa dump site and sell it to the scrapyard owner.
“This has been happening for the last several years in connivance with the municipal engineers. Everyone would then share the booty,” a councilor in the know informed.
Sources in the Mapusa civic body informed that Chief Officer, Amitesh Shirvoikar visited the scrapyard on Wednesday and conducted a panchanama and accordingly further disciplinary action would follow on the delinquent staffer.
It is learnt that a majority of the councilors have called for rustication of the driver so that a clear message goes to other employees in the municipality.
