The following quote is from the Oheraldo, pertaining to the garbage collection issues in Margao.
Quote Says an official, The civic body needs a minimum of 20 more workers for round-the-clock garbage collection, atleast in the heart of the city. The present 47 staff falls short of the requirements. End of Quote I don't know how much a garbage collector is paid in Margao. I know the following. a) The going rate for a live-in maid is Rs1000/month in the Margao area. b) The going rate for a receptionist is Rs1500/month in the Margao area. Assuming the MMC is generous, let's peg the going rate for a garbage collector at Rs 2000 per month. Someone who has actual knowledge of the wages paid to garbage collectors can correct me. Rs 2000 x 20 = Rs40,000. Are we to believe that the Margao Municipality does not have Rs40,000 in their coffers to sustain a clean city. The squalor that is Margoa is unimaginable. Moreso to a tourist who views it with a foreign eye. Will the Margao Municipality tell us: a) how much revenue is lost to the city because tourists refuse to stop in Margao. b) how much money the average citizen pays in medical bills because of the disease the city is host to on account of its sanitation. c) how much loss is sustained by businesses because of sick days. d) how much inconvenience is caused to the pedestrian and the motorist because of the garbage, filth and debris that gets scattered around the city. Perhaps when we total up all these costs, we'll realise that they exceed Rs40,000 per month. We'll realise that the more we leave situations unattended the worse they become because then filth and squalor becomes an acceptable standard. The authorities it seems are "looking for solutions". Here is one. Hire 20 workers and pay them. That's the logical solution. If you don't have the money, raise it. Explain to people that an unclean city leads to unseen costs, that they are better off paying a small tax rather than incurring hidden losses. I bet if we strip away the layers of corruption, we'll easily find Rs40,000 to pay 20 more people. Last but not least, why does a newspaper like Herald with a wide circulation, not ask these questions of the authorities rather than just reporting it as if it was a situation totally beyond the control of the said authorities. We Goans are a susegad people but I think we are also easily deceived. Selma __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org