MARGAO
With its coffers virtually running empty, the Margao Municipal Council now looks forward to the government to bail out the civic body to help arrange funds towards the payment of November salary and Diwali bonus to the employees and workers.
The civic body is also pinning hopes on unlicensed traders and businessmen to approach the municipality to pay the mandatory trade licenses with the ultimatum set for the illegal business establishment to obtain licenses ending on November 30.
Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes has dashed off a letter to the government to release the second salary installment of the common cadre employees as well as the dearness component of the employees in order to mop up the revenue so that the November salaries and wages are paid to the employees without much of a problem.
That’s not all. The MMC has also reminded the government to reimburse the civic body the wages paid to the 50 labourers at the disposal of the Margao fire brigade for services relating to disaster management during the monsoons.
Municipal officials in the know pointed out that the government has defaulted in releasing the second salary installment of the common cadre and has not cleared the Dearness Allowance component of the municipal employees for the last six months.
Taken together, the coffers of the municipality will enrich by around Rs 1.90 crore if the government releases the second salary installment and DA component, an official added.
Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes pointed out that if the government releases Rs 1.90 crore, it will go a long way in clearing the November salaries and wages of the employees and workers, besides the Diwali bonus.
“We expect the government to release the wages amounting to nearly Rs 50 lakh paid to the labourers at the disposal of the Fire services as part of the disaster management during monsoons”, he added.
The Chief Officer said that the MMC is already in receipt of around 50 files from businessmen who have been doing business in the commercial capital sans the mandatory trader license. “We are in the process of processing these files. The revenue on the trade license head will help to further enrich the municipal coffers,” he said.
Agnelo added: “Till such time, the government comes out with a bailout package by compensating the civic bodies in lieu of the loss of revenue from Octroi, the Margao municipality will lay stress on revenue recoveries. Our financial position will be further strengthened if the government releases the second salary installment of the common cadre employees and the DA component of the employees”.
