MARGAO
The Margao Municipal Council is seriously considering knocking the doors of the Supreme Court to get possession of the three BS4 trucks lying in an auto showroom for want of registration after the coming into force of the BS6 regime in April 2020.
The three vehicles, costing around Rs 35-odd lakhs, have been lying in the garage of the auto company for over a year now as the Civic body could not register the BS4 vehicles after April 2020.
Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes along with senior Municipal official is believed to have discussed the matter with MMC legal counsel, Adv Padiyar, wherein it was suggested that the only way out now for the Civic body is to knock the doors of the Supreme Court for exemption and relation of the BS6 regime.
In this connection, the Chief Officer is expected to place the matter before the Council meeting for a resolution, authorizing the Civic body to engage a lawyer to represent the MMC in the Supreme Court.
Sources in the Civic body pointed out that the Municipal legal counsel is believed to have advised the Municipal officials to go to the Apex Court for exemption in the matter.
At the last first council meeting, newly-elected Councilors had demanded action against the erring Municipal officials for causing loss to the Civic body by not taking possession of the three vehicles after registration. In fact, former MMC Chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar had demanded that the Civic body recover the loss of Rs 35 lakh from the concerned officials for their alleged failure to protect the interests of the Council.
Officials, however, contended that a host of factors were responsible for the delay on the part of the Civic body to take possession of the three BS4 vehicles before the BS6 regime had come into force from April 2020 as per the Supreme Court directions.
While the auto company was believed to have sent a letter to the Civic body at the fag-end of March to register and take possession of the three vehicles, sources said the letter was officially brought on record in the Civic body only in May. Questions, however, are still raised in the corridors of the Civic body how come the Municipal officials did not show any haste in getting the three BS4 vehicles registered before the BS6 regime came into force when the entire country was debated on the transition of the BS4 to BS6 regime.
