MARGAO: The ‘A’ Class Margao Municipal Council has been now hit by another scandal. This time, the civic body has been caught on the wrong foot with hit by the purported misappropriation of funds from fees collected at the recent feast fair.
In a startling revelation nearly Rs 17 lakh, collected as fees from vendors at the recent feast fair, ended up in the bank accounts of municipal staff instead of the municipal treasury.
During the fair, the municipality collected a significant sum of nearly Rs 28.5 lakh in fees from these stalls. Initially, a sum of Rs 10 lakh was diligently collected in the early days of the fair, as per protocol.
In response, the MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar has instructed Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar to launch an immediate inquiry into the matter and submit a comprehensive report within 48 hours.
Confirming the gravity of the situation, Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar has acknowledged that the sum of Rs 17 lakh, collected from vendors, has not been deposited in the municipal treasury.
Margao recently played host to a feast fair with the MMC granting permission to 450 stalls to carry out business within its jurisdiction.
The revelation that the civic body had assigned 10 employees to collect fees from each vendor, with strict instructions to deposit the funds daily into the municipal treasury, adds another layer of concern to the unfolding scandal.
However, the remaining cash has not being deposited till date, raising serious questions about the integrity of the collection process and the handling of public funds.
Upon learning that the collected funds had not been deposited in the municipal treasury, Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar promptly initiated an inquiry into the revenue discrepancy.
On being summoned and questioned, the clerk initially maintained silence, but under further scrutiny, he eventually confessed to the failure to deposit the funds into the treasury as instructed. Despite being instructed to rectify the situation by immediately depositing the money, the clerk concerned failed to comply with the directive.
In a statement to O Heraldo, the Chairperson reiterated his commitment to transparency and accountability, confirming that he has formally requested an inquiry into the matter by putting up a note to the Chief Officer.
“I have clearly instructed the Chief Officer to promptly initiate an inquiry and to submit the comprehensive report within 48 hours. We simply cannot tolerate such flagrant misappropriation within the civic body,” the Chairperson said.
Reiterating his stance, the chairperson said that if the staffers fail to deposit the money promptly, a police complaint will indeed be filed against them. Furthermore, it has come to light that the staff in question claimed to got the cash into their bank accounts via GPay.
It further sought clarification from MMC CO Gourish Sankhwalkar as the fair was under his direct control, and the official involved in the misappropriation of funds is learnt to be his PA.