PANAJI
The Director of Municipal Administration and the Commissioner of Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) have been served with a legal notice over the appointments of Kabir Makhija and Kishore Sastry as co-opted Councillors at CCP.
In the notice, activist Adv Aires Rodrigues has offered seven days to withdraw the order of appointment of the two as co-opted Councillors, failing which he has warned to knock the doors of the High Court challenging the appointments.
Adv Rodrigues argued that the appointments of Makhija and Sastry as co-opted councillors is a total breach and violation of the CCP Act as these Councillors lack the necessary special knowledge or experience in Engineering and Urban Administration.
Section 9 (b) of the Corporation of the City of Panaji Act makes a provision to nominate up to five councillors who have special knowledge or experience in the municipal administration, engineering, architecture, archaeology, heritage.
Adv Rodrigues has alleged that the CCP while proposing to nominate Makhija and Sastry as co-opted councillors had falsely stated that they were experts in the field of Engineering and Urban Administration, respectively.
He has also pointed out that the bio-data submitted by Makhija and Sastry does not mention them having any expertise.
Sastry in his bio-data has stated that his educational qualification is ITI in Electricals.
"Provision for co-opted councillors was made so that the CCP could get the proficient advice and guidance of experts in the designated fields and not be misused to politically rehabilitate former councillors," said Adv Rodrigues, adding that intent of the law to create posts of co-opted councillors was to have persons with vast experience in the fields specified so that they could through their long experience and enhanced knowledge contribute their ideas at meetings and deliberations of the Corporation.
It may be recalled that on April 7, the Commissioner had moved the proposal of Kabir Makhija as an expert in Engineering and Kishore Sastry as an expert in Urban Administration for nomination as councillors.
After receiving the proposal the Director of Municipal Administration by a notification dated April 28, notified Kabir Makhija and Kishor Sastry as co-opted councillors based on that notification the Commissioner of CCP issued an order to that effect on May 5.
