MARGAO
For the first time in recent Margao Municipal Council history, civic employees had to go without salary on the last day of the month for want of a Chief Officer to sign the salary bill.
What was feared by the employees came true on Wednesday. While the administration prepared all the documents in order hoping that a Chief Officer will come and put his or her signature on the salary bill, no officer turned up in the civic body on Wednesday, as a result of which the salaries could not be paid.
This is the fourth working day the MMC had to function without a Chief Officer since the government transferred incumbent Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar and replaced him with Biju Naik on Thursday last.
Biju Naik, however, has not assumed office to date, while Panchwadkar has not reported to the MMC on the plea that he has taken charge of his new posting as Director, Administration PWD.
Senior bureaucrats in the know say that the outgoing Chief Officer Panchwadkar continues to hold charge of MMC office till the new officer assumes charge.
Given this situation, with no sign of Biju Naik assuming charge of MMC at least in the next two days, the Director of Municipal Administration Dr Tariq Thomas is believed to have come out with a solution to break the impasse.
Dr Thomas has advised MMC Chairperson Pooja Naik to send the salary bill to the office of Panchwadkar for clearance. This advice, sources said, is based on the premise that Panchwadkar still continues to hold charge of MMC on technical grounds since his successor is yet to report.
Given the DMA’s advice, all eyes are now focused on Panchwadkar as the MMC Chairperson is expected to depute an employee to take the salary bill to him for clearance.
