Mapusa traders rise against ‘illegal’ sanitation tax, threaten action

Mapusa Merchants Association (MMA) President Jeetendra Falari denounced the move, terming it “lootmar” and an attempt to fleece local businesses.

“It’s an illegal tax. The rates have been fixed arbitrarily without legal basis. Despite multiple appeals to the local MLA, chairperson, councillors and even the Chief Officer, the civic body refuses to see reason,” Falari said, addressing the media in Mapusa.

He warned that merchants were now ready to take legal recourse against the move and would also launch a door-to-door awareness campaign targeting councillors, accompanied by drum beats (‘dhol’) to rally public support.

Former MMA President and ex-MMC Chairperson Ashish Shirodkar also condemned the civic body’s actions, stating that the issue impacts not just the trading community but all residents of Mapusa.

Shirodkar cited the 2020 model sanitation byelaws introduced by the State government, which clearly mandate that any local body seeking to impose sanitation (or garbage) tax must first adopt the byelaws through a formal resolution.

“The MMC claims to have adopted the model byelaws, but they failed to follow the required steps,” he said.

According to him, the council never passed a resolution deciding on the rates, rendering the adoption process void.

He further stated that such decisions must be taken in a special council meeting, not in a routine session as was allegedly done in Mapusa.

“The rule book has been completely ignored,” Shirodkar asserted.

The traders have demanded that the current collection of sanitation charges be immediately withdrawn. They insisted that if the MMC wants to implement the tax, it should begin from the current financial year and not be applied retrospectively.

With mounting anger in the business community, the MMA is now preparing to escalate the matter legally and socially, unless the civic body reverses its stance.