the goan I network
VASCO
Stating that one of his top priorities would be to make Vasco an open defecation free city, Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Chairperson Nandadeep Raut on Thursday assured to take steps to ensure that the port town achieves this ODF status in quick time.
He also mentioned that while work on 124 toilets had begun across the city, 244 additional toilets are expected to be constructed in the near future.
Raut was talking to reporters after a council meeting was convened to discuss various issues like ODF status, garbage issues and constitution of various subject committees. “The main agenda of the council meeting was to elect subject committees. Another major agenda was to tackle issues on garbage and we also discussed about making Vasco an ODF city.”
Informing that Urban Development Minister Milind Naik had convened a meeting with the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA), Raut said the council had received a letter stating that Vasco has to be an ODF city. “I will also place a proposal to all councillors, irrespective of ruling and opposition, to suggest the number of toilets required in their wards to achieve the ODF status. A proposal to construct 244 toilets has already been passed. We will also begin work to construct toilets in wards which presently don’t have many toilets,” said Raut.
“I have just cleared a pending bill of Rs 85,000 for a community toilet in Mangor, which was stopped on account of pending payments,” said Raut.
Admitting that about six wards do not have proper toilet facilities, the MMC chairperson said the council has been facing some difficulty in making Vasco an ODF city. “We have received funds of Rs 3.69 crore, of which some have been utilised and we have already begun work on 124 toilets and have paid the contractor 30 percent of the amount. The remaining payment will be made after the works are completed,” said Raut.
“We will clean some toilets which are clogged or not functioning and we will ensure that every ward has sufficient toilets to ensure there is no open defecation anywhere in Vasco,” said Raut.
Former MMC Chairperson Kritesh Gaonkar on Thursday recalled that during his tenure as chairperson, the council had issued work orders for 142 single unit toilets and a list for 244 additional toilets
had been sent to the DMA for approval.
New sub-committees elected
VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) on Thursday elected the standing committee and various subject committees in the council. An eight-member MMC Standing Committee has been appointed which consists of MMC chairperson Nandadeep Raut, vice chairperson Reema Sonurlekar, councillors Leo Rodrigues, Lavina De Souza, Damodar Kaskar, Deepak Naik, Frederick Henriques and Nilesh Navelkar.
Councillors were also appointed to various subject committees during the council meeting. They are Bhavna Nanoskar, Shashikant Parab and Frederick Henriques (education committee), Sandesh Mesta, Rajan Faldesai and Bhavna Bhosle (market committee), Yatin Kamurlekar, Pascoal D’Souza and Rajan Faldesai (sanitation, medical and public health committee), Bhavna Bhosle,Sandesh Mesta and Nilesh Navelkar (solid waste management committee), Deepak Naik, Rochana Borker and Vandana Satardekar (development committee).
