Staff Reporter
Vasco
The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has paid a total of Rs 1.23 crore in arrears to its staff and pensioners after a gap of eight years.
The A-category municipality has been struggling with a lack of revenue since 2016 and was unable to pay the arrears under the 7th pay scale during this
period.
Speaking to reporters, MMC chairperson Girish Borkar said, “The Municipality started facing a financial burden since 2016 when octroi was discontinued to the municipalities. We struggled even to pay salaries to the staff. However, we decided to improve the situation and make efforts to stabilise our financial condition.”
The arrears were due for 160 persons, including staff members and pensioners, and had remained unpaid since 2016. To address the issue, the municipality launched an aggressive revenue collection drive, urging tenants to clear their outstanding dues.
As a result of these efforts, the municipality was able to pay Rs 1.23 crore in arrears, at the start of the New Year.
In the past, the labourers of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) have
gone on strikes over irregular payment of wages and unpaid arrears by the
council.