MARGAO
What’s on the agenda of TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai as he braces to visit the Margao Municipal Council on Tuesday after a gap of 10 long months, is a question that did the rounds in the corridors of the Municipal building on the eve of his visit.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has said he is unaware of the visit by the TCP Minister in the Margao Municipal body on Tuesday morning,indicating that the Margao MLA has not been invited for the Janata Darbar.
Incidentally, a message uploaded on the social media has indicated that the TCP Minister will visit the MMC basically to address the civic related issues of the residents of Fatorda, raising eyebrow whether his visit is in connection with the virtual revolt by his Goa Forward party-backed councillors against Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and to calm down frayed tempers.
During his first Janata Darbar held on November 6 last year, the TCP Minister had expressed his unhappiness over the MMC administration, terming the administration as rusted and beyond redemption.
While the TCP Minister has honoured his promise to get a full-fledged Chief Officer for the Margao Municipality, his other promises, including instructions to scrap the multi-storeyed parking tender and outsourcing of the waste collection and revenue recoveries has gone abegging.
That the TCP Minister has restricted his visit to civic issues related to Fatorda indicates that either he is unhappy over the delivery system of the Municipality vis-Ã -vis his Fatorda area, or he is coming to the civic body on a fire-fighting mission to keep majority of the Goa Forward councillors, who had led a revolt of sorts against the chairperson, in good humour.
Incidentally, during his last visit to the Margao Municipality on November 6, the TCP Minister had tried to ward off criticism for not inviting the Margao Congress MLA Digambar Kamat, saying he had just come to understand the functioning of the Municipality, promising to invite the local MLA during his next visit.
When The Goan called up local MLA Digambar Kamat on Monday, he feigned ignorance about the TCP Minister’s visit to the Margao Municipality on Tuesday.
Incidentally, the TCP Minister had come clear on the burning issue of garbage and revenue recoveries during his first visit, saying the only remedy to tone up the Municipal administration was to get in private hands, particularly on the garbage and revenue recovery front.
He had publicly batted outsourcing of garbage collection and to effect the huge outstanding arrears, but the ground reality remains unchanged in the civic body till date.
