the goan I network
MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council has prepared a road map for the civic body in the New Year on three main burning issues plaguing the city “ waste segregation at source, revenue recoveries and playing a proactive role in making commercial establishments obtain sewerage connection and abate the nuisance in the city.
Chief Officer, Siddivinayak Naik even went to the extent of saying that the Margao Municipality has set a target of Rs 100 crore as revenue recoveries in the new calendar year.
The Chief Officer, who held discussions with Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai on day one of the New Year, told the media that the civic body has set a target to recover outstanding tax arrears amounting to Rs 100 crore. “This target is not difficult to achieve given that our drive had earned rich dividends last year. The civic body will first request the commercial establishments as well as households to pay the tax arrears or face punishment, including sealing of the commercial premises,” Naik warned.
To a question, he said that the civic body will resume its revenue recovery drive, beginning from this month after a fortnight long break during the Christmas festivities. He also said the civic body had given one month’s time for the New Market traders to voluntarily clear the tax arrears, exuding confidence that the traders would clear their tax dues within the deadline.
On the waste segregation at source, the Chief Officer exhorted the people of Margao to cooperate with the civic body to take the exercise to its logical conclusion. “Right now, the civic body is carrying out the waste segregation at source in seven out of the 25 municipal wards. We have plans to extend the exercise to all the Municipal wards,” Naik said.
That waste segregation at source is on the topmost priority of the Margao Municipal Council assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the directions issued to the civic body by Justice Deodhar, heading the regional committee of the National Green Tribunal during its visit to the Sonsodo site last month. It also assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the scheduled visit of the Director of Municipal Administration, R Menaka to the civic body on January 7 to take stock of the Municipal plans on waste segregation at source.
Incidentally, the Margao Municipal Council has for the first time listed on its agenda to make the commercial establishments obtain the sewerage connections in the city. The Chief Officer said that though the civic body would get all the households obtain the sewerage connections, the exercise will begin with the hotels and other business establishments. “The civic body would invoke the provisions of law empowering the Municipality to recommend disconnection of power and water supply of the erring business establishments,” he said, while expressing concern over the rampant discharge of waste and sewage water in the storm water drains and nullahs.
Plans on the sewerage connections assumes significance since a large number of households, including business establishments, have failed to obtain sewage connections, despite an elaborate network of sewage line laid in the city by spending crores of rupees.
