the goan I network
MARGAO
Cuncolim Municipal Council’s tryst with musical chairs continues, with the 12-member body all set to elect the fifth woman municipal chairperson in the current term later this week.
In keeping with its avowed objective of ensuring that all the six women councilors hold the chairperson’s chair via rotation before the current term ends in October 2020, the Cuncolim City fathers will meet on December 20 to elect a new woman chairperson as incumbent Chairperson Kiran Naik stepped down from office recently.
The Director of Municipal Administration Dr Tariq Thomas has convened a special meeting of the council on December 20 to elect a new municipal chairperson.
As per the arrangement worked out by the ruling group of councilors, lady councilor Panzy Coutinho will be the group’s nominee for the coveted post. If elected, Panzy will then hold the post for a period of three months before making way for the sixth woman councilor Succorina Coutinho next year.
With municipal elections scheduled around October, 2020, the ruling group will then decide whom to nominate for the post for the remaining two months.
While the avowed objective behind rotating the chair amongst all the women members was to give an opportunity to the all the women councilors to hold the post, sources said it has also ensured there’s no instability in the civic body.
So far, the CMC post has been presided over by four lady councilors, including Lavita Mascarenhas (twice), Polita Carneiro, Angela Luis Painginkar and Kiran Naik. Both Angela and Kiran enjoyed the post for three months each and the ruling group will continue the same arrangement for the remaining two aspirants.
Meanwhile, DMA Dr Tariq Thomas has appointed Rohit Kadam Chief Officer of Quepem Municipal Council to preside over and conduct the special meeting on December 20.
Nomination papers for the office of the chairperson are required to be delivered to the Chief Officer, CMC at his office at any time before noon on December 19.
9 Chief Officers in 4 years
MARGAO: If the Cuncolim Municipal Council is all set to elect the fifth Municipal Chairperson later this week, records show that as many as nine Chief Officers had presided over the administrative affairs of the B Class Civic body during the present term. Sources in the know informed that the CMC had to face the administrative instability with the government appointing as many as nine Chief Officers in the last four years. The new Chief Officer Violet Gomes has assumed charge of the Civic body only recently.
Sources in the Civic body pointed out that the transfers of Chief Officers had affected the stability and functioning of the Civic body. That there was a running battle between some of the Chief Officers and Councilors only goes to show that all was not well between the elected representatives and the government officers presiding over the administrative affairs of the Civic body.
