MARGAO
Margao municipal coffers are getting enriched with each passing day with revenue from various tax heads, such as house tax, rent, trade licence et al.
Sadly, the Municipal foot soldiers, who toil hard to bring in the revenue, move around the city with their own vehicles either to serve the notices on individual households and business establishments for the payment of taxes, seem to have been left high and dry.
While the Municipal field workers, less than 10 in numbers, have ensured a constant flow of revenue, ranging from Rs 5-7 lakh on an average, the municipality has no plan to compensate these workers with conveyance allowance.
Incidentally, while the Municipality and its officials have won accolades and praise from the citizens and City Fathers alike for the revenue generation since the arrival of Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes, promise to compensate the workers with a monthly token travel allowance of Rs 500 has failed to materialise till date.
The decision to pay the monthly travel allowance of Rs 500 was taken via a resolution at the Council meeting held around two months ago. Municipal workers, however, pointed out that the resolution has not been implemented till date, leaving them with no option than to use their two-wheelers and petrol to serve the bills on the households and commercial establishments. “We were happy when Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai and Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes supported the proposal to compensate us in the form of travel allowance. So far, the proposal has remained only on paper for reasons best known to the Council,” lamented a worker.
Both the Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and the Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes were not available for comment, but sources in the know said though the duo were in favour of payment of the allowance in the form of travel allowance, the proposal, however, did not move forward so as to provide relief to the workers.
Ever since Johnson took over the reigns of the Council around five months ago, the revenue recovery of the Margao Municipality has hit an all time high, thanks to his administrative acumen and the implementation of his plan by the dedicated group of field workers, whose responsibility is to ensure that the bills reach the door steps of each and every tax payers and the business establishments.
