MARGAO
The Old Market fair has so far enriched the Margao Municipal coffers by around Rs 21.50 lakh.
Civic officials, however, said the revenue will keep trickling into the civic body in the next two days as many hawkers, who did not pay the fees at the Municipal treasury on Wednesday, are now seeking permissions for stalls at the Old Market.
An official in the know informed that the revenue way of fees collected from the stalls allotted at the Old Market fair has crossed Rs 21.50 lakh on Thursday. The revenue so far collected this year may still fall short of the total revenue collected by the civic body during the Purumentachem fest held at the Old Market in June last.
The Rs 7,108 fee levied on each stall comprises of stall charges, 1400 sopo charges for the seven days and Rs 500 as garbage fees.
Sources in the know, however, said the revenue collected this year ought to have surpassed the revenue collected last year pegged around Rs 29 lakh, considering that the civic body has levied Rs 1400 sopo charges this time round.
“In June last, the civic body could not levy the sopo charges since the Municipality-appointed contractor was collecting the sopo charges. Since the MMC is collecting the sopo charges departmentally this year, the revenue from the stalls should have gone up significantly,” informed former MMC Chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar.
Sources, however, said the civic body is anticipating additional revenue from the fair in the next two days given that many hawkers apply for stalls at the eleventh hour.
