NT NETWORK
VALPOI
The former members have demanded with the Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) that their honorarium for the period 2013-16 be disbursed to them immediately.
Some former councillors informed that their honorarium for 3 years has not been paid to them and whenever explanation is sought in this matter, the VMC administration has its own answers.
The government has sanctioned honorarium of Rs 7,000 per month for councillors of ‘C’ class municipality, and Rs 8,000 per month honorarium for chairperson.
The then VMC council members did not draw their honorarium for the period 2013-2016. “We don’t like to ask again and again. It is the duty of civic administration to look into the matter and disburse our honorarium. We have given our services to the public. Now, the present council should initiate some steps to disburse it,” said former vice chairperson.
A former councillor said that whenever they enquired at the DMA office they were told that proposal has not been sent by the VMC
office.
“We do not know whether the proposal was sent or it is held up. Many times we have asked the concerned official at the VMC office but we got wayward answers. We personally feel that administration at the VMC office has totally collapsed. An official at the VMC office claimed that the proposal was sent twice,” he
added.
When contacted, chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar said that in the year 2014, a proposal of honorarium for the period up to 2015 of Rs 13 lakh was sent and second proposal of honorarium for the period up to 2016 of Rs 25,56,000 was also
sent.
“I agree that honorarium of past councillors should have been released by the municipality. We are running short of funds. The government has sanctioned 80 per cent of the funds while the remaining we have to provide. I will personally look into the matter” assured the chairperson, who was also a part of the past
body.
