Hazard a guess the reason for the failure of the Margao Municipal Council to clear the wild grass along the roadsides and on public spaces before Ganesh Chaturthi festival?
Well, the reason is not far too seek. Delay in getting the grass-cutting machines repaired resulted in the delay in clearing the wild grass and bushes along the city roadsides this time around.
While MMC Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar pointed out that the delay was certainly not from his side, saying that he had cleared the file for the payment of the repair charges.
MMC Chairperson Pooja Naik said the payment has now been made, adding that the grass-cutting machines will be available any moment now.
The delay in getting the machines repaired, however, has turned many a road and public spaces into eyesores. It has been a norm in the MMC over the years that the wild grass and bushes along the roadside are cut well before the Ganesh festivities.
In the absence of the grass-cutting machines, MMC workers were drafted for the job of cutting roadside bushes and grass. Sources in the know, however, said the manual job could not cover the entire municipal area, as a result of which wild grass and bushes were left untouched this time during the Ganesh festivities.
Left with no option, some of the councillors got the municipal administration to deploy the JCB to clear the roadside bushes, but the effort seemed to have only given temporary relief.
At some of the places, open spaces remain covered with wild grass and bushes, with sources in the civic body only saying that the exercise of getting rid of the wild grass will start only after the return of the grass cutting machines.
