MARGAO
Has the Margao Municipal Council managed to tide over its financial crisis with the recovery of outstanding tax arrears in the last few days?
Recovery of Rs 25 lakh tax dues in a single day on Thursday might have rung in good news for the civic administration, further enriching the municipal coffers by around 50-60 lakhs. The financial crisis, however, is far from over. In fact, time is running out for the civic body to arrange close to Rs two crore in the next 15 days to clear the staff salaries and wages of workers for the current month of October.
Take note, with the ensuing Diwali festival coming in the first week of November, the MMC can ill afford to delay the disbursement of salaries and wages of the hundreds of staff, employees and workers in times of festivities.
No doubt, the civic body has effected revenue recovery to the tune of over Rs 50 lakh over the last one week. However, if officials are to be believed, the amount will be utilized towards the payment of fees for the door-to-door waste contractors and to clear the provident fund and gratuity share of the employees.
Besides, the civic body will be called up to make a host of payments, other than the staff salaries and wages of the daily wage workers. “The revenue recovered over the week amounting to Rs 50 lakh will be sufficient enough to clear the garbage contractors and the payment of gratuity, provident fund and to make other payments”, remarked an official.
The MMC is hoping against hope that the civic body receives the salary grant of the common cadre to ensure it has adequate funds to pay the salaries.
The task before the Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes and the administration is simple “ how to mop up revenue to the tune of Rs two crore to foot the salary and wage bill of the employees and workers.
The Municipality is hoping to recovery the tax dues from the business establishments and households in the next 15 days by maintaining the heat on the tax defaulters. “The civic body has no other option than to go after the tax defaulters in a big way. This will not only help recover the arrears but will send a message loud and clear to the people in general that the civic body means business”, an official said.
He added: “The Chief Officer should also ensure that files for construction and renewals are cleared expeditiously by the technical section. The Chief officer should immediately find out from the technical section how many files for construction license or renewals are pending till date and the reasons for the delay in clearing the files”.
