Margao civic body chief officer targets Rs 10cr recovery in 6 months

Margao: Newly appointed chief officer of Margao Municipal Council (MMC), Madhu Narvekar, has made revenue recovery his top priority to tackle MMC’s financial crisis. Narvekar aims to recover Rs 10 crore in six months from the council’s Rs 35 crore dues.Narvekar, who assumed charge last month, acted swiftly to address the municipality’s financial crisis to meet its basic obligations, including monthly staff salaries of Rs 2.5 crore. “The target is achievable through strategic planning and consistent monitoring of progress,” he said. “We have developed a strategy to target defaulters systematically. The performance of our recovery team will be monitored regularly to ensure we meet our objectives.”Narvekar constituted a dedicated team to spearhead the drive. The recovery exercise begins with a Rs 20 lakh weekly target, which will be enhanced based on the results. “We will tweak our strategy based on results and team capabilities, but I am confident we can recover at least Rs 10 crore within the next six months through constant monitoring and meticulous planning,” Narvekar said.The chief officer also identified significant revenue leakage from unlicensed businesses and issues related to the subletting of commercial premises, including shops in municipal markets.According to observers, earlier revenue recovery attempts faced challenges due to political interference, poor implementation, and failure to bring unassessed properties into the tax net, with 40–50% of Margao traders lacking valid licences.