MARGAO
The Shadow Council has also made a strong demand for the dissolution of the Margao Municipal Council and has made a plea to the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai to immediately order an inquiry into the agreement entered by the civic body with the private contractor Bapu Environmental Services.
"We are sure that the TCP minister will realise well that hundreds of Goemkars and Madgaonkars would be willing to take up the job of waste collection if they are paid 15,000 per month, as such workers from Bihar need not be imported by the MMC to take up door-to-door waste collection," stated convenor of the Shadow Council for Margao Savio Coutinho at a media briefing at Margao.
The SCM alleged that the door-to-door collection undertaken in six wards of Fatorda constituency is likely to cause a loss of over Rs 4 lakh per month.
Coutinho stated that while the contractor has to provide 45 workers for the job and each worker would be paid @ Rs 500 per day ie. Rs 6,75,000 for 30 days in a month, he alleged that not more than 30 workers are actually provided by the agency, thereby the council is likely to pay 15 ghost workers Rs 2,25,000 per month. To add to this, he alleged that the agency pays the workers only Rs 9000 per month (inclusive of ration and rent).
SCM member Laurel Abranches strongly criticised the council for developing a heavy heart to extend wages @ Rs 500 per day to old workers on one hand but exhibiting over generosity towards non Goan imported workers. "We demand that the old daily wage workers also be paid @ Rs 500 per day with retrospective effect, ie. from the 27/9/17," he stated.
