Madgavkars may have to brace up for hike in construction licence fees

MARGAO

After the sanitation fee shocker, Madgavkars will have to brace up for a massive hike in the construction license fees if a proposal submitted by the PWD Chief Engineer on revision of plinth area rates is adopted by the Margao Municipal Council.

In fact, the August 25 meeting of the Margao Municipal Council has come into focus with the items on adoption of revised plinth area rates to calculate construction license fees for residential and commercial buildings, besides single dwelling building units, and compound walls find a mention on the meeting agenda.

The civil society was quick to question the rationale behind revising the construction license fees, with the Shadow Council for Margao claiming that Madgavkars should be prepared for a whooping 38- 45 per cent hike in construction license fees, inclusive of cess etc. 

Saying the August 25 meeting is likely to take a resolution for the adoption of the new plinth area rates, Coutinho said, “What we fail to understand of our elected representatives is that whenever such circulars and proposals are received by the Council, which are concerning legal premises, the Council with the blessings of their mentors waste no time in implementing the same, by citing the need for additional revenue”.

He, however, said that on the other hand, even after dozens of circulars and reminders are received by the Council to assess illegal premises, the leaders refrain from implementing the same.

With the proposed adoption of the new plinth area rates, he said the license fees for a 100 square metres residential unit will shoot up from the present amount of Rs 67,614  to Rs 93,307.

Similarly, he said the license fees for a 100 square metres commercial unit will go up from Rs 76,916 to Rs 1,11,530. For buildings having lifts, an additional amount is payable  @ 82,282/- per lift, which amount remains the same as before, he said.

Saying that individual houses may be fewer in number, but these are the most affected in the bargain, Coutinho said, “So also the licensing fees for units constructed by developers are also transferred upon the purchaser eventually”, while calling upon the developers to take up this huge hike in plinth area rate's, with the government, in the interest of their clients. 

Coutinho recalled that the Shadow Council and citizens had strongly objected to the 50 per cent hike in sanitation fees implemented by the Council from April 2023. This issue was also raised in the Goa Assembly by Fatorda MLA Vijay Sardessai, where Margao MLA Digamber Kamat also agreed for rationalizing the tax rates, Coutinho pointed out.

“With both the leaders agreeing to the fact that the 50 per cent hike was unjustified, we expected that the same would be rolled back. Instead, the Council preferred to push forward the adoption of yet another hike on legal premises”, he added.

The SCM Convenor has called upon all the 3 MLAs associated with the Council, namely Digamber Kamat, Vijay Sardessai and Reginald Lourenco to take up the matter of keeping the 50 per cent sanitation fees hike in abeyance and prove that the concern shown by them during the assembly session was genuine.

The SCM has cautioned that all these arbitrary revenue generating measures will only promote more illegal activities in the city, as everyone now knows that illegal activities in Margao are most same and protected.