MARGAO
Margao Municipal officials heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday on the revenue front after the government conveyed its sanction of salary grant to the civic body amounting to Rs 1.75 crore.
With the civic coffers virtually empty and just six days to go for the payment of the November salaries, the government sanction has come at the right, which will facilitate the payment of the salaries and wages to the employees and workers on time.
The salary grant includes employees on deputation, common cadre staff, besides DA components to the Municipal staff of the year 2021-22 for the period October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 as the second installment.
Of the total Rs 1.75 crore sanctioned by the government, Rs 1.09 crore pertains to DA to the Municipal staff, Rs 59 lakh salary to the common cadre staff and Rs 7.51 lakh salary to the staff on deputation.
With the MMC receiving government grant on second installment of the salary grant, the MMC is now trying to get the government to reimburse the amount spent on the daily wage labourers kept at the disposal of the Margao fire brigade for disaster management duties.
Senior MMC officials pointed out that the civic body is now in a better position to disburse the salaries and wages for the staff and workers by the month-end.
The MMC requires close to Rs 2 crore to foot the salary and wage bill every month, Rs 1.5 crore comprising of the salary bill and the balance pertains to the wages of the daily wage workers.
Two months ago, the civic body had paid only the net salary of the employees and workers for want of sufficient funds.
The MMC a couple of months ago had gone for the premature withdrawal of a fixed deposit certificate. Till date, the civic body has failed to recoup the fixed deposit certificate, thus violating the salary reserve fund norms.
