BJP leader takes own party-led council to task
Choked drains caused flooding of stalls in the Margao Gandhi Market.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The BJP leadership may be left red-faced after party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar launched a blistering attack on the party-ruled Margao Municipal Council for its failure to de-silt the drains and provide basic services to citizens.
Ajgaonkar, who heads the Gandhi Market Vegetable and Readymade Garments Vendors’ Association as its president, has demanded that Margao Civic Chief Damu Shirodkar either provide good service to the people or resign. In fact, he has set an eight-day ultimatum for the MMC to clean up the drains, failing which he has threatened to lay siege to the Chairperson’s chamber and take to the streets.
The former Deputy CM also questioned the stand taken by the Margao Civic Chief that the buildings which collapsed in the city last week are privately owned. “Citizens fail to understand what the MMC Chairperson is talking about. If he says he is helpless just because the buildings are privately owned, does he mean that people should die under these private structures? If the MMC has no funds, let the civic body go begging to the government to get the funds needed to save people from death and destruction,” he asserted.
What triggered Ajgaonkar’s outburst against the BJP-ruled Margao Civic Body was the flooding of the Gandhi Market area, which caused loss of property to the vendors. “The MMC Chairperson has hiked the fees by 400 per cent and still cannot provide service to the people and traders. If he is unable to provide proper service and administration, he should quit office,” he demanded.
He added, “Was the MMC Chairperson sleeping when the choked market drains caused flooding and property loss? If he cannot provide the labourers, he should leave the Chair.”
Referring to the collapse of the old Bank of Baroda building, Ajgaonkar questioned the MMC Chairperson’s repeated claim that the building was privately owned. “We fail to understand what exactly the civic chief meant. He should know that the MMC is responsible for protecting the lives of citizens. If he says the MMC has no funds to demolish dangerous buildings, he should approach the government. He cannot put the lives of Madgavkars and all those who come to the commercial capital at risk,” he added.
