Long queues at MMC for income certificates

Margao: Serpentine queues of applicants were seen outside the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) on Tuesday as residents thronged the civic body to obtain income certificates — a crucial document required for the renewal of govt schemes and other welfare benefits.The annual rush, which sees residents converge on municipal offices at this time of the year, overwhelmed the MMC’s counters. The civic body’s cash section also witnessed a heavy turnout as people came to pay house tax, renew trade licences and avail other services.With inadequate counters to process the volume of applications, residents were forced to wait in long queues, prompting calls for the administration to deploy additional staff to streamline operations and clear the backlog.Former MMC chairperson Savio Coutinho squarely blamed the civic administration for the chaos. “The staff handling income certificate applications were woefully inadequate,” he said.MMC chief officer Madhu Narvekar, however, said, “As soon as I learnt of the situation, I immediately deputed two market inspectors to assist regular staff in processing the applications. From tomorrow, four market inspectors will be deployed to support those manning the counters,” he said.