the goan I network
MARGAO
A crucial meeting of the Margao Municipal Council on Thursday is expected to deliberate on the issue of payment in respect of the Sonsodo imbroglio before the civic body set in motion the process to clear the payments to Fomento as per its undertaking before the South Goa district court.
The meeting assumes significance given that the civic body had given an undertaken before the district court to pay Rs 1 lakh per day to Fomento in lieu of the treatment of the solid waste at the former’s waste treatment plant at Sonsodo.
The meeting further assumes significance as questions are being raised in the corridors of the civic body over the undertaking given by Chief Officer Sidhivinayak Naik before the district court in an arbitration matter to pay Rs 1 crore per day to Fomento in lieu of the treatment of segregated waste at the Sonsodo waste treatment plant.
Councillors in private pointed out that since the decision of the Chief Officer to make the payments for the treatment of daily waste entails heavy expenditure, at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per day, the matter should be discussed threadbare at the meeting before setting in motion the process towards making the payments.
The Council had agreed to pay around Rs 22 lakh to Fomento at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per day for the treatment of the Municipal waste at the treatment plant from August 10-31 after the termination notice came into force on August 9. The MMC has further agreed to pay an amount of Rs 1 lakh per day to Fomento from September 1 till such time the municipal waste is treated at the Fomento plant.
Acting MMC Chairperson Tito Cardozo informed that he has called for the special meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue since the matter involves payment of money to Fomento towards the treatment of daily municipal waste. “It requires the nod of the Council for any payment to be done by the civic body. Since the Municipality has agreed before the district court to pay a certain amount of money to Fomento in lieu of treatment of waste, the matter has been brought before the Council for an appropriate decision,” Tito said.
As per the district court’s order, the MMC is required to set in motion the process of making the payments to Fomento after it receives the invoice from the company within a week from September 4.
