the goan I network
MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council's unprecedented move to recommend disconnection of power supply of house tax defaulters may come a cropper for want of support from the power department.
In fact, power officials questioned the Margao Municipal Council action recommending disconnection of power supply of the tax defaulters when the Electricity Act is silent on the issue. Senior power officials reminded further that electricity and water are two essential commodities and disconnection is to be resorted to only in exceptional circumstances or upon orders of the court. Three days after MMC Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes dashed off a letter to the Executive Engineer, Margao power division, recommending disconnection of power supply, Executive Engineer Devdassan even feared that the power department may be dragged to the Human Rights Commission for disconnection of electricity based on the municipality's recommendation. "There's no provision in the Electricity Act recommending disconnection of power supply of tax defaulters. Even if the municipality has revoked the NOC issued to the office of a tax defaulter, the power department cannot simply accept the recommendation and disconnect someone's power connection," Devdassan said.
Another power official demanded to know the provision under the Goa Municipalities Act empowering the CO to recommend disconnection of power supply of a tax defaulter. And, the officer further demanded to know whether the CO can recommend such an unprecedented action without a resolution from the elected council.
The MMC CO had last week dashed off a letter to the power department to disconnect power supply to the offices of 17 city-based builders on grounds that each of these offices owed tax arrears running into thousands of rupees.
