On Tuesday you couldn’t see it, on Wednesday you could! The file outlining terms and conditions imposed on Zuari Agro Chemicals for storing ammonia at their facility at Vasco surprisingly went missing at the Mormugao Municipal Council only to be recovered a day after, raising serious concerns over behind the scenes moves of vested interests.
For an entire council to be clueless and go on a treasure hunt only goes to show the lax and careless attitude in handling sensitive files. Worse still was the chaos that followed when an old file of Ganesh Benzoplast, which was closed earlier, was presented by the staff instead of the ammonia file in question.
The ammonia file dates back to 2001 when permissions were granted to Zuari Agro Chemicals to store ammonia. The file which has been riddled with several litigations and controversies was traced in the storeroom with an explanation that sensitive and key files, including the naphtha file, are stacked there. If important files are being kept in the storeroom, why did the councilors and staff search the technical sections? Why did it not dawn upon anyone that there is a place where such files are stored?
The resolution, which was finally passed on Wednesday, stated that the council will write to MPT to check fitness of vehicles transporting ammonia and storage tank while seeking shifting of the storage tank outside city limits. But again, what do these resolutions mean? Are these the means to strike a hard bargain with companies? There are several resolutions which have been passed only to be restricted to paperwork. In 2016 the council had moved a resolution to protest against movement of coal where it was decided not to allow coal-laden truck movement in the city. The resolution although passed, has gathered dust since then and has been confined only to the files. There was not even one semblance of a protest to stop trucks transporting coal even when the cargo has literally doubled. Blaming it on the government for giving a green signal on pollution levels is just a premise to sidestep the issue.
Chairperson Deepak Naik’s intentions sound genuine on showing concern towards the safety of Vascokars, but since he is heading the council, he should first own responsibility over handling of files, rather than pointing at his councilors and staff. The most irresponsible statement came from chief officer Agnelo Fernandes when he said missing of files was not a new thing. If files are going missing then the chief officer should have raised an alarm and probed into those involved. Contentious files like these cannot be handled with such callous attitude.
The disappearance of the file has exposed the chinks in the functioning of the top heads of the council. It is now clear that neither the Chief Officer nor the Chairperson saw the file details after the major ammonia leak that rocked Chicalim and surrounding areas. Worst still is the fact that the Chairperson had issued a letter to MPT and other departments without even looking at the file. It is when instances like these surface that people begin to lose trust on those at the helm of the council.
