MARGAO
Was political pressure the reason behind Margao Municipal Council’s decision to open the seals on shops shut down around the New Market around a week ago?
Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Siddivinayak Naik has ruled out any political pressure behind his decision to open the seals on the 10 shops shut down in the new market post-fire incident. The CO’s decision to open the seals after levying fines, however, has indeed raised eyebrows in the corridors of the civic body and outside.
Recently, the civic body dealt strictly with tax evaders in the Osia Commercial Complex, but the same seriousness is not seen in the case of the New Market. Questions have been raised whether the civic body is being pressurised to go easy on establishments in the New Market.
That the MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and the CO rushed to the media to give one month’s time for the New Market traders to obtain the trade licenses or face closure of the premises also came as a surprise and gave an indication that there may have been some political compulsion to do so.
When contacted, the CO said the seals on the 10 shops sealed post-fire incident in the New Market were opened after imposing a fine. And, he defended the decision saying the traders have all started the process of obtaining the trade licenses and to pay the revised house tax.
In the recent past, the Margao municipality had refused to open the seals on the business establishments until and unless the traders cleared all the tax dues, including the trade license and the revised house tax.
Incidentally, while the CO has gone into a denial mode over political interference behind his decision to open the seals, sources in the corridors of the civic body did not rule out interference by the powers that be.
MMC chief was not available for comment, but her decision to give one month’s time to the traders in the two municipal markets, New Market and Gandhi Market, to obtain trade licenses has indeed raised many an eyebrow in political circles.
