MARGAO
Political differences within the Goa Forward Party-backed group of councillors in the Margao Municipal Council seems to have cast a shadow on crucial traffic and parking issues plaguing the city.
It’s over 10 days now since the special meeting of the Margao Municipal Council had to be called off for want of quorum after majority of the city fathers boycotted the meet, including Goa Forward-backed councillors, upset over the style of functioning of MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai.
While the Goa Forward-backed councillors had succeeded in its mission as they managed to draw attention of the party leadership, forcing Goa Forward Supremo Vijai Sardesai to hold two rounds of interaction with the agitated group, two crucial traffic and parking issues “ to float a fresh tender for the multi-storeyed parking lot and to trim the Old Market circle to ease traffic congestion -- are still awaiting the council’s nod for want of a special meeting.
In fact, the special meeting of the Margao Municipal Council on August 13 was specifically called to discuss the floating of a fresh tender in order to shortlist a new contractor to build the long-delayed multi-storeyed parking lot behind the municipal building and to trim down the Old market traffic circle.
Sources in the know said the council’s nod to take up these projects is mandatory given the fact that it has decided to scrap the existing tender after the contractor failed to take up the construction work on the parking lot due to the GST tangle.
Secondly, the proposal to reduce the width of the Old Market traffic circle stands delayed for the simple reason that the MMC has volunteered to take up the work instead of the PWD. Actual work, however, will commence at the traffic circle only after the proposal receives a nod from the council.
A senior MMC official said these two projects may take off only after they find a mention in the agenda of the meeting to be convened by the chairperson. And, sources in the know said that Chairperson Babita will call for a fresh meeting only after a nod from the Goa Forward leadership so as not to face another round of embarrassment from the party-backed group.
With the Goa Forward Supremo returning home on Saturday after a week-long tour of Europe, councillors are now looking forward to his intervention in the civic body to break the deadlock.
Sources said while the TCP Minister has given the group of councillors a patient hearing, promising to resolve many a grievance raised by them, there isn’t going to be any change in leaders in the Margao municipality in the immediate future.
Sources pointed out that with Babita set to complete three years in office in the next two months, Sardesai may assuage the sentiments of his group of councillors by promising a change in guard after November.
He, however, would be keen in ensuring that the MMC holds its special meeting and give nod for the two traffic and parking proposals so that work can start at the Old Market circle and a contractor is shortlisted to build the Rs seven-crore multi-storeyed parking lot.
