Bicholim council to remove shops in old building for safety

Bicholim: Bicholim Municipal Council (BMC) has decided to remove the shops below its old building staircase in the market area as a safety measure. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by BMC chairperson Vijaykumar Natekar on Tuesday.

Councillors Sukhada Teli, Aniket Chanekar, Deepa Shirgaonkar, Gunjan Korgaonkar, and Aparna Fogueri raised concerns about the shops under the staircase, demanding their immediate removal for safety reasons and lack of legal status.

Councillor Rajaram Gaonkar said BMC should ensure provisions for the sustenance of shopkeepers before removing the shops.

Shop owners only pay the sopo tax and their units are not registered as shops, so the issue of making provisions for them does not arise, as they do not pay any other tax to the council, said councillor Sukhada Teli.

Councillors raised concerns that the old and dilapidated building poses safety risks and should be demolished. Chief officer Nehal Talawanekar directed the market inspector and technical department to prepare a status report at the council’s special meeting on May 22.