NT NETWORK
VALPOI
Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC), on Friday, decided to reassess residential and commercial structures for revising the tax levied.
The tax revision is aimed at generating substantial revenue for the cash-strapped civic body.
The VMC took the decision on tax revision in view of the instances of structures having been extended while the amount being paid in form of the tax remaining the same.
The council agreed to carry out the reassessment, and fine those who have extended their structures without obtaining permission of the civic authority.
It was pointed out that few shopkeepers have sublet their shops. The chief officer said that that an inspection will be carried out, and action will be taken accordingly.
Ward 7 councillor Sayyad Sarfaraz pointed that the garbage plant in his ward is not operational, and garbage from the entire town is dumped at the site and it is proving to be nuisance to the residents in the area.
Opposition councillor from ward 3 Atul Dantye, objecting to the minutes of the last meeting, claimed that in the last meeting he had urged the council to spend Rs 5 lakh on procurement of electrical fixtures for all 10 wards in view of the Ganesh festival.
Dantye alleged that his ward is not supplied with electrical fixtures and RCC covers for drains.
However, the VMC chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar said that in the last meeting, it was decided to spend Rs 40 lakh on development work in the entire municipal jurisdiction, and Rs 10 lakh on garbage management.
Raising the traffic issue, councillor Anil Katkar demanded action against a private bus which remains parked on the Thane road during the peak hours, thereby causing obstruction to the smooth flow of traffic.
Katkar said that KTC buses remain parked haphazardly on the road, causing obstruction to traffic in Valpoi.
Shirodkar said that traffic problems will be over after the traffic plan is implemented.
The council members said that the VMC should write to the Valpoi police to take stern action over haphazard parking.
Raising the issue of rehabilitation of vendors sitting in a shed opposite Maruti temple, councillor Aktar Shah sought explanation from the chairperson over the delay in shifting these vendors.
Shirodkar told the council that the vendors would be shifted to vegetable market after the Ganesh festival.
Vice-chairperson Shaizin Shaikh, councillors Parvin Khan, Rashikant Chari, Parvin Shaikh, engineer Nadim Shaikh and Gulam Shaikh were present for the meeting.
Addressing the media after the conclusion of the meeting, Shirodkar said that the civic body is facing fund crunch as grants are not sanctioned.
When asked as to why golden jubilee fund has not been utilised till date, he alleged that projects are held up as the government is not granting financial approval to any project forwarded by the council.
“Whenever GSUDA or DMA was asked about the status of any project file, we are told that our concerned engineer should do the follow up, which is not feasible at the moment. We do not have a full-time engineer and we are also short-staffed,” he said.
He assured that the council would take appropriate action on the resolution passed at the meeting, and work on resolving traffic issue by implementing the traffic plan.