MARGAO
With the five-year term of the current Margao Municipal Council (MMC) set to end in a month’s time, a key revenue-enhancing initiative”the Geographical Information System (GIS) survey”remains largely unimplemented, gathering dust in the civic body’s records.
Adding to the uncertainty is the status of a separate GIS study commissioned by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) through an appointed contractor. Whether this survey has been completed or if it will ever be implemented by the MMC remains unclear.
What is evident, however, is that the GIS survey conducted by the MMC during its previous term, particularly in the Margao Municipal market area, had promised to significantly boost revenues”running into crores of rupees.
As the current council prepares to demit office, a key question looms large: what prevented the implementation of the GIS findings over the past five years, resulting in substantial revenue losses for the civic body?
The pilot GIS survey conducted in 2019 had revealed glaring discrepancies, indicating that the council was losing an estimated Rs 3.5 crore in revenue from commercial establishments in the market ward alone.
Despite the report’s clear indication of potential revenue gains, the civic body failed to act on its findings. The reasons for the inaction remain unclear, raising concerns over administrative accountability.
The lapse has also put the spotlight on both elected representatives and municipal officials, including chief officers, accounts and administrative staff, as well as taxation authorities responsible for revenue collection and plugging leakages.
With the council’s term drawing to a close, the unimplemented GIS initiative stands as a missed opportunity”one that may have cost the MMC crores in much-needed revenue.
