State governance - photo copier style

Every time someone wants a changemade in a birth or death document at the Margao Municipality the form is notavailable at the designated counter number two. The lady at the counter whencoaxed for a form will angrily instruct you to go to Kakode photocopying shopand buy it for Rs 5. Similar is the response at the Mamlatdar and Talathioffices at the Margao collectorate who direct citizens to Star Xerox in theadjacent lane. Government offices in Margao send citizens to the nearest Xeroxshop to buy government forms to apply for residence certificates and disabilitycertificates.

At the Margao Town policestation, the constable sends NRIs, PIOs and even Margao residents to the Xeroxshop opposite the police station to buy the requisite forms for a PoliceClearance Report or sells outdated forms at the old price cancelling andwriting a new rate raising suspicion on the price of the form.

When informed, the MargaoChairperson Mr Arthur D’Silva said that he would need some time to look intothe matter and make forms available for the general public at the counteritself and rid of this cartel between the employee and the Xerox shop. Thiswould then not require the involvement of photocopying shops as touts. The MMCChief Officer Mr Srinet Kotwale was clueless about the non-availability offorms at the Municipality for over two years.

When Margao Town PoliceInspector, Sudesh Naik was told that the photocopied form was being sold forRs.200 instead of the printed price of Rs 100, he said the price had beenincreased.

Fatorda Talathi pointed out that withover 100 people coming in every day and with the Goa Printing Press not havingan office in Margao the shortage of forms was definitely a problem.

South Goa Collector, Mr N DAgarwal asserted, “ This is a serious issue but has never been brought to mynotice earlier. I shall overview availability of forms and see if these formscan be made available online or introduce a serial number so that touts sellingforms can be eliminated.”