Cortalim Congress leader Mahesh Nadar while meeting the Sancoale panchayat secretary.
VASCO
Cortalim Congress leader Mahesh Nadar alleged that the continued failure to repair non-functional toilets at the Zuarinagar cyclone shelter home has caused inconvenience to women and children using the premises for various functions.
He has now demanded the resignation of Cortalim MLA Anton Vas as chairman of the Zuarinagar cyclone shelter home committee.
Nadar submitted a representation to the Sancoale panchayat secretary on Tuesday, demanding time-bound action to restore the toilets and improve the upkeep of the facility.
Nadar said he was informed that the cyclone shelter home committee, headed by MLA Anton Vas, was responsible for the maintenance of the premises and that the panchayat had no role in the collection of fees for functions held there.
“I have been informed that after I raised the issue of non-functional toilets in the media, the panchayat brought the matter to the notice of the shelter home committee headed by Anton Vas. The panchayat secretary, who is also the member secretary of the committee, issued notices and convened a meeting on October 15 to discuss the issue,” Nadar said.
He claimed that the panchayat had clarified that it did not receive any financial benefit from the fees collected for events held at the shelter home. A scanner had been installed to facilitate online payments for the convenience of local residents, he said.
Nadar further claimed that the committee had accumulated around Rs 10 lakh in funds, which had not been utilised for the maintenance and upkeep of the premises.
According to Nadar, the panchayat had reportedly initiated steps to address the problem, including inviting bids for plumbing works and the installation of new water taps in the toilets.
“However, the proposed works could not proceed without approval from the committee headed by the MLA,” he alleged.
“The panchayat had decided to place the proposal before the MLA at the meeting scheduled for October 15. However, Anton Vas did not attend the meeting, and the proposed maintenance and repair works were kept on hold,” Nadar claimed.
Questioning the collection of fees while basic facilities remained unusable, Nadar demanded that the premises be made available free of charge until the toilets were repaired.
“If people are being charged fees to use the premises, they must be provided with basic facilities. Women and children should not have to suffer because the toilets are not functional. Until the repairs are completed, the panchayat should stop charging fees for functions held there,” he said.
Nadar said the MLA's position as chairman of the committee was meaningless if he could not attend meetings or approve proposals required to maintain the facility.
