the goan I network
MARGAO
With the Margao civic body implementing the sanitation tax on households and business establishments on the carpet area norm, questions are doing the rounds in the corridors of the Municipality whether the Council has figures of the area size of each and every premises in the city.
Convenor of Shadow Council of Margao Savio Coutinho has come out with a startling revelation stating that the Municipality has admitted that the office has no area-wise record in the civic body, even as he questioned how the body would levy the sanitation tax on premises as per the area size.
Coutinho informed that he had sought information under the RTI seeking details of the total number of premises under various heads along with the area-wise details. He, however, lamented that while the civic body could dish out figures stating on the number of various business establishments, ranging from office to shops, tea and coffee stalls, etc, the civic body was frank in admitting that area-wise records of a particular head are not available in the office.
Coutinho said the information dished out by the Municipality has raised serious questions as to how the civic body will levy sanitation on various establishments when the office has no area-wise record.
Take the case of shop premises within Margao Municipal limits. Coutinho pointed out that while the civic body was quick to dish out statistics pegging the number of shops to 13,631, the reply stated that area-wise record of these shops are not available in the office.
"The reply given to me under the RTI has raised serious questions when the Municipality under the leadership of Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai had resolved to levy the sanitation fees based on the area size of the premises," Coutinho said, even as he wondered how the taxation section will charge the premises the sanitation tax as per the area size when the RTI says the office has no record of the carpet area.
The Shadow Council of Margao has already moved the High Court challenging the Council's decision to levy sanitation tax on closed shops and residential premises. The High Court has issued notices to the Margao Municipal Council to reply to the points raised in the public interest litigation filed by the Shadow Council.
