MARGAO
Goa Forward Chief MLA Vijai Sardesdai on Thursday said that "misplaced priorities" will cost Margao dearly in terms of development, even as he repeated his oft-repeated charge that the city is crumbling in the absence of planned development.
A host of issues pertaining to Margao in particular and Salcete, in general, were raised before the Goa Forward Chief during his Janata Darbar in the Margao Municipal Council on Thursday.
Construction of the flyover on the Margao ring road; missing files in the Margao Municipal Council; anti-encroachment drives not being implemented in the commercial capital; and the delay in razing down unsafe buildings were some of the issues highlighted by citizens before the MLA at the darbar.
After the interaction held as part of the public interaction ahead of the forthcoming Assembly session, Sardesai told the media that development in the city will suffer due to the "misplaced priorities" of the local MLA. After ex-BJP Councillor Ketan Kurtarkar drew his attention to plans to build a flyover linking Victor hospital to La Flor hotel instead of constructing it at the Comba railway crossing, Sardesai said the Victor hospital flyover worth crores of rupees will not solve the traffic congestion, but further aggravate it at the level crossing.
"The Victor hospital flyover is being taken by the powers that be to pander to the vote bank. The second flyover at the Comba railway crossing should have been given priority given the traffic mess at Comba, considered the city’s educational hub,” he said.
Saying that Madgavkars are seeking justice, Sardesai said ruling BJP-backed councillors are seeking LDC jobs for their daughters.
“In the MMC, files go missing. When the councillors were expected to work to provide jobs for the people, they are working for the interests of their daughters," he said while promising to raise the issue in the Assembly.
Claiming that hurdles were put to deny the Municipal hall to hold the darbar, Sardesai said the MMC hall is a symbol of democracy.
“Your cannot deny the facility to the public. This is meant for the people. The MMC Chairperson has said that an issue was sought to be created that the hall is being denied to hold the darbar. The civic chief is taken for granted by his MLA when he was made to sit behind the front row while the MLA’s son was seated in front,” he added.
Margao needs a certified doctor, not quacks: Vijai
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai has called upon the people of Margao to unite to save the city from crumbling, saying the fate of the city should be in the hands of a certified doctor and not quacks.
Terming Margao as Old Delhi and Fatorda New Delhi, he lamented that the rule of law is not implemented in Margao city, with illegalities reigning supreme with the support of politicians and bureaucrats.
He also demanded to know the fate of the Rs 17 lakhs that has been misappropriated from the MMC treasury. “Have the civic officials recovered the amount, or have the police arrested the LDC involved in the misappropriation?” Sardesai questioned, suspecting hanky panky in the episode.
The Fatorda MLA demanded to know why the Margao Municipal Chief Officer is dragging his feet and at whose behest to demolish the unsafe building in the city when the Disaster Management Chairperson and District Collector had ordered the civic body to raze down the structure seven months ago.
“Recently, I called upon the District Collector to come down heavily on illegal hawkers and encroachments on the pavements in Fatorda. I am surprised that the drive is restricted only to Fatorda and has excluded Margao. Is it because the powers that be want to protect their chor bazaar and other illegal business in Margao,” he thundered.
