MMC to decide on proposed rates at meet today
the goan I network
MARGAO
Interestingly, Margao Municipal Council has come out with the revised rates of sanitation fees based on the size and area of the shops, offices, garments shops, clinics and restaurants.
The burning issue of sanitation fees, which had forced the Council to go for a revision of the sanitation fees following uproar in the Commercial capital will figure in Wednesday’s ordinary meeting of the civic body wherein the Council will take a call on the revised sanitation fees.
A glance at the revised rates has revealed that the City Fathers have now decided to leave the sanitation fees on households untouched for the moment. All the households across the city, irrespective of the size and area of the residential premises, will be charged a flat sanitation fee of Rs 50 per month.
What, however, has raised many an eyebrow in the corridors of the Civic body is the decision of the ruling body to revise the rates based on the area and size of the office or shop premises. Take for instance offices. The Council has revised the rates of offices, starting with Rs 150 per month for space up to 50 sq mts, Rs 250 for space between 51-150 sq mts and a flat Rs 350 per month for all offices above 151 sq mts.
Similarly, the Council has mooted a proposal to charge Rs 3 per sq mts for every sq mt of space of shops above 101 sq mts, beyond the 30-100 sq mts slab.
Clinics too will have to pay the sanitation fees based on its area and size if the proposal to revise the rates finds favour with the Council. Garment shops is proposed to be charged as per the shop category, with the ruling dispensation proposing a sanitation fee of Rs 150 per month for shops up to 30 sq mts and Rs 200 for a shop with a size admeasuring 31-50 sq mts.
Even though a section of City Fathers raised many an eyebrow over the revised rates based on the size and area, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai, however, justified the formulae used to arrive at the sanitation rates. “We decided to implement the area and size formulae after we were told that other councils have also used the same yardstick. We have to start somewhere,” she added.
Implementation of the sanitation fees in the commercial capital had kicked up a storm with loyal tax payers resenting the sanitation fees, saying the Civic body arrived at the sanitation fees without any rhyme or reason and without taking into account the ground reality.
All the households across the city, irrespective of the size and area of the residential premises, will be charged a flat sanitation fee of Rs 50 per month
The rates of offices, starting with Rs 150 per month for space up to 50 sq mts, Rs 250 for space between 51-150 sq mts, a flat Rs 350 per month for all offices above 151 sq mts
Garment shops is proposed to be charged as per the shop category, with the ruling dispensation proposing a sanitation fee of Rs 150 per month for shops up to 30 sq mts and Rs 200 for a shop with a size admeasuring 31-50 sq mts
