THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Continuing its tirade against the Margao Municipal Council on account of the huge hike in trade/signboard license fees, the Shadow Council for Margao has slammed the Council over the non recovery of over Rs 1.44 crores of rent due from the premises leased out in the Municipal owned New Market and Gandhi Market.
The NGO has called upon the people of Margao to dump the Model Margao Council in the waste bin during the upcoming Municipal elections.
Briefing the media, Savio Coutinho displayed the RTI information sought from the Council, and stated that the Council has failed to collect this huge outstanding dues of nearly Rs 1.5 crores. And on account of MMC's own failure, traders and business activities running in private premises are punished by imposing the "ILLEGAL" exorbitant hike, he added.
Coutinho further charged when private premises are let out on rent, they are liable to pay revised house tax equivalent to one month rent. “But on the other hand hundreds of Municipal owned premises are illegally let out to outsiders at huge monthly rentals, but the Council continues to remain content with the paltry rental ranging to as low as Rs. 10 to a few hundreds’, he charged.
He added: “We had filed four applications under RTI seeking information about various tax revenue related matters on April 22, 2025. However even after over two months, the Council has furnished part information that too after filing an appeal before the first Appellate authority”.
He said information sought on the number of kiosks alloted under the Deendayal Swayam Rojgar Yojna in Margao fetched us shocking details. “The GHRSSIDC under which department the kiosks were allotted stated that 53 kiosks have been allotted within Margao Municipal limits; while MMC furnished a written statement that only 12 kiosks are allotted under the said scheme.
Lincoln Gomes charged that the MMC was functioning without any proper system and hence all these problems are finally faced by the general public. He demanded that the Council should be more transparent as all these issues are related to public revenue. And to mop up revenue loyal taxpayers are burdened heavily, while the actual sources are conveniently ignored due to vote bank politics.
