MARGAO
Will the survey conducted by the Margao Municipal Council on business establishments operating sans trade license meet the similar fate of the previous surveys when they were all confined to the dusty record books?
This question has come to the fore in the corridors of the Municipal body since the Municipal taxation section is believed to have completed the survey on the number of commercial establishments operating in the commercial capital sans the mandatory trade license.
If sources are to be believed, hundreds, if not thousands of commercial establishments, are believed to be operating in the city without the mandatory trade license, denying precious revenue to the civic body.
In fact, a survey in one ward itself has revealed that nearly 30-40 per cent of the business establishments have been operating without trade license.
Besides establishments operating without trade licenses, shops in the Municipal properties, including the mega New Market and the Gandhi market have been paying a pittance rent to the civic body.
In fact, if officials are to be believed, there are some stalls in the Municipal market which are still paying Rs 10-15 rent till date, with the civic body showing no urgency to revise the rent from its municipal properties.
Incidentally, a GIS survey conducted by an agency for the Margao Municipal Council around half a decade ago had revealed that the MMC has lost crores of rupees as revenue simply because the establishments have been operating without the trade license.
Take note, the GIS survey report has not been implemented by successive Chief Officers and Municipal Chairpersons over the last five years as a result of which the MMC has been losing previous revenue on the trade license front.
