"I don’t think the present chief minister will try to sabotage the plans for city because he is not from Panaji"
The Goan Everyday (TGE): Babush has announced that you will be his candidate for the post of the mayor. What are your immediate plans for Panaji if you take over as the mayor?
Surendra Furtado (SF): (Pointing to the manifesto) This is what Babush has gone to the people with. So, this is a very huge task for me that I have to complete. I have to work day and night to get these things cleared. He has promised lots of things and I have to do all those things.
I want to go in for pay parking. I want to look at clamping of vehicles. I want to also see if we can convert more streets into one-ways and also start cleaning the City. I want to see the toilets functioning which are the basics. If we don’t have basics, we can’t say that we are looking forward for a smart city. I have been given to understand that under Swachh Bharat funds worth crores of rupees are sanctioned but CCP has not lifted anything from there. Additionally, for toilet repairs each poor family is supposed to be given Rs 5,000 in two instalments. No money has gone to anybody.
When I was the mayor I had moved a proposal to GSUDA for free dustbins in every household which was tendered for 55 lakhs. I don’t know what has happened. When I handed over my charge to the commissioner, I had given him the list of all the things pending. Additionally, a proposal was sent to GSUDA for annexe building of CCP. They did not find out the status on it despite telling them twice. GSUDA has to construct, CCP has to do nothing. Everyone has to think in one direction about what we are going to do for the City and not what we get. Babush’s and my mantra of development are the same. It is a huge backlog of one year which BJP failed to do.
TGE: Now that you speak about BJP, when you were in power at CCP, you alleged that no funds were being given by the State Government for development as it was being ruled by the BJP. Once again you are in a similar situation. Comment.
SF: When I was the mayor, the MLA of Panaji was the then Chief Minister of Goa. So he did not want me to shine. I don’t think the present chief minister will try to sabotage the plans for city because he is not from Panaji. I am confident that Babush Monserrate and myself will call upon him and also the deputy chief minister who is the urban development minister to sort out things. 2017 is not very far. Everybody wants to show results, even the Panaji MLA. I want to go on record that there will be no confrontation between me and the MLA. He has already congratulated me and said that he will fully support me as the mayor.
TGE: One of the long-pending demands of Panaji is the garbage treatment plant at Bainguinim and that is still not happening. Now Babush has said that if the plant is not happening there, he doesn’t mind shifting it to Taleigao. Your take.
SF: I do not want to name the MLA who tried to sabotage the garbage treatment plant for seven years. He is the same MLA who floated his panel. He should tell the people of Panaji why he sabotaged it and why he floated his panel. Was it that he wanted to further sabotage it by having few of his corporators on the panel? If Babush is ready to give 25,000 square metres of land in Taleigao for the plant, then the government should very well take that offer and start. After the Campal site caught fire, GSPCB prohibited us from dumping garbage. No waste was being lifted. Before the election, I have engaged a private contractor and lifted 67 trucks of garbage has been lifted from my two wards and the amount paid is Rs 1,44,000. I told the commissioner that if this private contractor can lift the garbage and dump it somewhere why not CCP? I am not bothered where he was dumping.
TGE: Panaji lagged behind in the Smart City Mission mainly because CCP refused to raise funds for the Mission. You were a part of the group which opposed to burden Panjimites with taxes. Now how are you going to raise funds?
SF: There was a panel floated by one so called MLA who said they will reduce the house tax. Can you reduce the house tax? Now in few months, seventh pay commission will be implemented. Where are we going to pay them from?
How much are the people of Panaji and Goa going to shell out wherein there is no imcome coming from? We are peoples’ representatives and we have to safeguard their interest. We don’t require Rs 1,300 crores for Panaji city.
TGE: So are you saying that you don’t want Panaji to be smart?
SF: We want the city to be smart. But we will not tax the people of Panaji. There are many other ways, I will tell you once I take over. First I will form a committee of experts including architects. Let me take their advice.
TGE: Because of you Babush was thrown out from the Congress and now you are his mayoral candidate. What you have to say about all these developments?
SF: Everybody commits mistakes. But then once you realise, you have to come over. That should be forgotten. In the interest of Panaji we both are ready to compromise at any length. Somehow we want to see that BJP is not there in Panaji.
