PANAJI: Urban development minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday directed all municipalities to ensure that all civic services are made available online. At a meeting he held with officials of the municipal administration, the minister issued directions to bodies to identify funds that are languishing with each municipal council, so that they can be utilised.
Rane also asked chief officers of municipalities to conduct site inspections and venture out of their offices to understand their areas of jurisdiction. “All municipalities must be digitised,” he said.
“We have designed software for every service, including the collection of taxes. We want all services to be online within 15 days. Some municipalities have fully implemented all this, some are yet to do it. We held a meeting with all the chief officers and the commissioner to tell them to offer only online services.”
He also said that efforts are on to regularise the jobs of municipal employees who have been working on contract for more than seven years.
Rane asked chief officers to consult their respective councils and identify projects that would benefit residents. “Govt gives funds to municipal bodies, and these funds remain lying there (in their accounts). Funds given by the 14th Finance Commission and the Liberation Fund are still pending with municipal councils. We will see what the councils have in mind, and we will try to use these funds for what the councils need,” said the minister.
Chief officers will also maintain field logs, he said. Rane also announced that GIS mapping for the towns in North Goa is nearly complete, and a similar exercise will be carried out in South Goa. He also said that masterplans for Mapusa and Mormugao will be prepared.
“We are also thinking of bringing in amendments to the Goa Municipalities Act, which would put the onus of fumigation of construction sites on builders. We could also bring in an ordinance,” said Rane.
