MARGAO
Does the election of a new Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council offer any hope for Madgavkars and Fatordekars as they look forward for basic civic amenities in the commercial capital?
This question may be uppermost in the minds of citizens even as the City Fathers vote today with most of the issues plaguing the city remain unresolved, right from the Sonsodo imbroglio to parking et al.
In fact, while the City Fathers aligned to the political parties are locked in a keen battle to achieve the magic number on Friday to install their men at the helm of affairs, most of the perennial issues affecting the commercial remains unaddressed till date though 15 months have passed since the new breed of councillors assumed office in May last.
Garbage imbroglio
The last 15 months saw the Margao Municipal Council commissioning the bio-methanation plant at Sonsodo. But, the waste management imbroglio is still awaiting an answer till date. While the remediation of the Sonsodo legacy dump is expected to be completed by May next, there’s no solution yet to the daily fresh waste generated in the city. Waste Management Minister Atanasio Monserrate’s promise to set up two state-of-the-art bio-methanation plants within 18 months has offered a long term solution to the waste imbroglio, how to manage the fresh wet waste has come to haunt the civic body.
Parking woes
The 2015 multi-level parking project is yet to see light of the day. It’s another thing that the City Fathers have resolved to introduce pay parking on the city roads when they have miserably failed to provide parking facility in the city. After endless delays, the MMC has now entrusted the responsibility of setting up the multi-level parking project behind the Municipal building to the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA). Work on the project, however, is yet to kick start till date, with sources saying that it may take minimum 2-3 years for the parking lot to become a reality.
Stray dogs
Stray dogs seemed to have not got the priority in the Margao Municipal Council it deserves. For, while the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a city-based NGO had lapsed on December 31, 2020, the civic body has not moved with alacrity to rope in an organization during the last 15 months to address the burning issue. The population of dogs has been on the rise in the commercial capital, but there’s no effective response from the civic body. The new chairperson has the task cut out to address the burning issue before it goes out of hand.
Municipal administration
It’s not uncommon to hear newly-elected councils and chairpersons offering people-friendly and transparent administration, but the ground reality seemed different. No doubt, the outgoing Council headed by ex-Chairperson Lyndon Pereira has revived the Closed Circuit TV surveillance cameras in the civic body, but sources say much needs to be done to tone up the civic administration and make it people friendly.
The new chairperson has another task cut out about how to recover the huge tax arrears and mop up additional revenue by plugging the leakages.
