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MAPUSA
The abrupt decision by Chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), Nutan Bhicholkar to cancel the special council meeting slated to discuss and approve the municipal council’s annual budget for 2024-25 has sparked concerns over potential financial ramifications.
The cancellation, attributed to the enforcement of the election code of conduct, could potentially lead to a fiscal crisis as the civic body would be unable to incur expenditure in the new financial year beginning April 1.
The announcement of the cancellation was made following the mid-last week decision to hold the special council meeting.
However, with the recent declaration of the election schedule and subsequent implementation of the code of conduct, a message was circulated among all councillors notifying them of the meeting’s cancellation.
The delay in convening the budget meeting is attributed to Bhicholkar assuming the role of Chairperson of the council in late February.
Former MMC Chairperson, Sandip Falari, revealed that he had engaged in discussions with Bhicholkar and the vice-chairperson to explore avenues for passing the budget before the code of conduct took effect.
“I could see the danger lurking around the corner and tried to guide them on how to wriggle out of the situation,” Falari remarked, citing provisions within the Municipal Act that could have been leveraged to expedite the budget approval process.
He said as per Section 97 (3) of the Municipal Act the chairperson can directly place the budget proposals before the council by bypassing the Standing Committee.
He further said that the chairperson also had the option to leverage Section 78 (4) (b) of the Municipality Act to call for special council meeting which requires only one day notice.
However, the failure to pass the budget poses significant challenges as the approved budget provides the council with the authorization to incur expenditures.
Falari highlighted the potential consequences, emphasizing the necessity for the council to navigate this obstacle effectively.
“Now, they will have to find a way out to overcome this hurdle. They have come to a dead end and must wait for the next 80 days until the code of conduct ends,” Falari expressed.
He suggested potential alternatives, including seeking concessions from the State Election Commission.
Efforts to reach Nutan Bicholkar, the Chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal Council, for comment on the matter remained unsuccessful as repeated calls went unanswered.
I was not consulted: Mapusa CO
MAPUSA: Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) Chief Officer Chandrankant Shetkar distanced himself from the peculiar predicament the civic body finds itself in following the failure to convene the budget meeting.
Shetkar’s terse response, “I was not consulted. Please ask the chairperson,” sheds light on the lack of coordination within the municipal council regarding the sudden cancellation of the budget meeting.
In the wake of the cancellation, another senior officer within the civic body disclosed that the municipality would be unable to incur any expenses starting April 1.
