Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai was always the get-up-and-go type of person. Not satisfied with the routine of being a minister he opted to do a little churning in Margao and Fatorda. The minister has thrown a proposal into the arena of debate “ bifurcate the existing municipality into two entities, which means Fatorda would have its own municipal council. Sardesai has not explained the rationale behind his proposal or how both Fatorda and Margao would benefit from it.
Many years ago Parrikar had undertaken a similar exercise to include areas surrounding Panaji, which had acquired the character of a city, into municipal limits. Under this plan parts of Taleigao, Santa Cruz and Porvorim were to be included. The plan received the thumbs-down from residents who feared higher taxes with little or no benefits. An agitation ensued and Parrikar had to back down. The municipality was converted into a corporation and the only difference that Panaji saw was an increase in the number of wards to 30.
There is a simple question that citizens ask when presented with a proposal for expansion of municipal limits or bifurcation: how are we going to gain? There is no clear answer to this simple yet profound question. If a village, or part of it is going to be added to a municipal body then the benefits have to be clearly stated. The case of Fatorda is different and the question that arises is: How will Fatorda gain by being an independent municipality? There is no guarantee that the administrative problems that plague the MMC will disappear if Fatorda becomes an independent municipality. The plan to expand the Panaji municipality failed because it was not a model city. If not for the Mandovi river Panaji would be like any other city. There is a clamour to join a city only if the facilities there are much sought after. Panaji never enjoyed that status and hence no one saw any benefit in joining the capital city.
One can understand the need to bifurcate when administration becomes an issue on account of size. The municipality has a population of around a lakh and if bifurcated it could lose its A-city status. Apart from getting a municipal building of its own and creating the opportunity for more politicians to get jobs, there appears to be no real benefit for either Margao of Fatorda. On the contrary, the trend is to consolidate and expand. Parts of villages that surround Margao have acquired the character of cities and it would make sense to include them in the municipality provided they agree. Sardesai has kick started a discussion on the issue, but unless he provides more inputs and explains why he made the suggestion in the first place, this debate is going nowhere.
