MARGAO
Its three years and counting, but the Margao Municipal Council seemed running out of ideas how to rope in an animal welfare NGO to handle the Animal Birth Control (ABC) program.
And, with the election code of conduct in force in view of the May 7 Lok Sabha polls, questions are being raised in the corridors of the civic body whether the MMC can ink an agreement with an NGO to take up the work of sterilisation of the strays.
There’s, however, another major issue which the civic body needs to handle “ whether the Municipality can throw the codal formalities to the winds just to please the political masters and award the work to an NGO sans floating an Expression of Interest.
In fact, The Goan understands that the MMC officials have time and again insisted that the civic body comply with all the procedures before handing over the ABC work to an NGO. Sadly, neither the MMC has floated any Expression of Interest (EoI) till date, nor is the civic body taking any action on priority to engage a NGO to take up the ABC program.
Questions are being raised in the corridors of the municipality why the Council or the Chief Officer has been dragging its feet to ink a fresh agreement with a NGO when the agreement with the previous NGO had expired on December 31, 2020.
It’s another matter that the NGO has claimed that it has been carrying out the work of ABC program in the city despite the expiry of the agreement with the civic body. The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ why has the MMC not inked a fresh agreement with a NGO for the last three when the stray population in the city has been on the rise over the years.
Officials further question whether the civic body has any particular NGO in mind to allow the work without inviting bids or Expression of Interest and the same has come under strong opposition from the concerned officials. “That the Mission Rabies had sterilised over 2,000 dogs in the city last year in an indication that stray dogs are on the rise in the commercial capital. Why this ground reality has not spurred the MMC to float an Expression of Interest to rope in a new NGO to take up the ABC work is question mired in mystery,” an official questioned, saying the MMC Chief Officer should comply with the Codal formalities before inking a fresh agreement with a NGO take up the ABC programme.
