MAPUSA
Continuing with its action against original lease holders for illegally sub-leasing municipal property to third party in Mapusa municipal market, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has now issued final notice to around 50 lease holders of shops/stalls in the municipal market directing them to vacate the premises within 30 days failing which the municipality will seal the same.
Issuing the eviction notice, Chief Officer of Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), Amitesh Shirvoikar said the original lease holder has failed to produce any documents to show that he or she has not sublet the premises.
“As per municipality records it is noticed that from 1995 you have failed to renew the lease agreement. The activity of allowing an unauthorized person to occupy the shop/stall is in violation of the provision of the Rules of Goa Municipal Act, 1968, thereby trespassing the municipal premises without valid agreement,” Shirvoikar said and directed the original lease holder to vacate the shop within one month.
Some of the notices were served on the shopkeepers on May 19.
Around three months ago the Mapusa civic body had issued showcause notices to 309 original lease holders of shops/stalls in the municipal market for violating the agreement with the council and illegally sub-leasing the property to third person.
In that notice the council has asked the original lease holders to showcause within seven days why the lease of shops/stalls/kiosks/banca fixas/ cubicles should not be treated as null and void and why the council should not evict the lease holders from their shops/stalls without any further notice.
“We have issued the final notice to vacate the premises to more than 50 original lease holders in the municipal market. After issuing a showcause, we had conducted a personal hearing with them. This is the final notice of the process which was started some months ago,” the CO told The Goan.
The chief officer was compelled to initiate the action against the lease holders after the High Court of Bombay at Goa had issued notice to him based on a PIL filed by the petitioner, Jawaharlal Shetye, an RTI activist based in Mapusa.
Shetye had alleged that the civic body refused to take action against sub-letting of municipal properties.
