MARGAO
Perhaps for the first time in Goa’s post-Liberation history, the historic Lohia Maidan at Margao, symbolising free speech and expression, since Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Dr Juliao Menezes gave a call to Goans on June 18, 1946 to drive out the Portuguese regime, will be out of bounds for public meetings in the run up to the May 7 Lok Sabha poll.
Reason: The Margao Municipal Council, the caretaker of the Maidan, and which regulates the use of the space for public programmes and functions, has come with an excuse saying it is in need of urgent civil and electrical maintenance work after a reported short circuit following the unseasonal showers on Saturday.
The explanation advanced by the MMC, however, seemed not to have gone down well with the public, pointing out if there is indeed a short circuit, the MMC cannot deny the permission to use the Lohia Maidan since the organizers of public meeting manage power supply with the help of private power generators.
The Congress party, besides the BJP and the Revolutionary Goans Party had made applications to the Margao Municipal Council to book the Maidan for their political meetings starting from this month-end.
MMC Chief Officer Gaurish Sankhwalkar on Monday took everyone by surprise when he denied permission to an NGO to hold a meeting at the venue on April 25, before sending letters to the applicants, who had applied for permission to use the Lohia Maidan on behalf of the political parties, saying the request cannot be considered.
In fact, in his letter to South Goa district Congress Committee vice-president Manuel D’Costa, the MMC Chief Officer, informed that the request to use the Lohia Maidan on May 1, 2 and 4 cannot be considered due to urgent civil and electrical maintenance work presently undertaken by the civic body. Incidentally, the Congress had knocked the doors of the MMC on March 19 last to book Lohia Maidan on the three days, but the request was turned down only on April 22, after more than a month.
When The Goan contacted the Chief Officer to shed light on the sudden development which threatens to deny the facility to host political meetings at Lohia Maidan, Sankhwalkar said he has taken the decision based on the report from the MMC technical section. “The technical section is attending to the problem caused by the short circuit. If it is a minor one and can be rectified, the civic body will complete the work. If it’s a major issue, the question of tendering will come into play and which cannot be done with the election code of conduct in force”, he said.
He, however, assured that in the event the problem is rectified in the next 2-3 days, the MMC will have no issue in making available the Lohia Madian facility to hold the public meetings.
The MMC’s decision has not gone down well with citizens at large, with many questioning the decision to shut the political meetings on the eve of the May 7 Lok Sabha election. “The MMC is not justified in shutting down the Lohia Maidan for political meetings. Assuming there’s a short circuit issue at the Lohia Maidan, let the MMC get the Power department disconnect the power supply to the Maidan. The organizers can arrange their own power generators to meet the requirements of illumination and sound for the political meetings”, remarked a citizen.
