THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
In a tense Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) meeting on Friday, the council voted to reject the hiring of six contract workers brought on by the civic body, citing procedural concerns.
The resolution to confirm the workers' employment was defeated with 11 councilors voting against and seven in favour.
This outcome forced the workers to be sent home without pay and left Chairperson Nutan Bicholkar and Chief Officer Chandrakant Shektar facing backlash, as they had strongly advocated for the hiring.
The councilors who opposed the recruitment argued that due process had not been followed; the staff members were reportedly hired before the official minutes were confirmed, and without notifying the Director of Administration. Among the councilors voting against the resolution were Viraj Phadke, Shubanghi Vaigankar, Prakash Bhivshet, Vikas Arolkar, Tarak Arolkar, Shashank Narvekar, Kayle Braganza, Anand Bhaidkar, Sudhir Kandolkar, Anvi Korgoankar, and Komal D’Souza.
The seven-hour meeting, which began at 2.30 pm, saw vociferous disputes between the majority of councilors and the Chief Officer and Chairperson.
Even after hours of deliberation, the agenda was not fully addressed, leading the council to adjourn the meeting until November 18.
A separate contentious issue also arose concerning the transfer of two municipal shops to the Chairperson’s husband.
Councilor Prakash Bhivshet accused the Chairperson of attempting to transfer the shops fraudulently.
Despite his formal objection, both the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson declined to address it, prompting Bhivshet to submit his objection through the municipality’s inward section.
This matter is also set to be revisited in the November 18 meeting.
Meanwhile, a proposal by Deputy Speaker and local MLA Joshua D’Souza to develop the ground of St Xavier’s College under the Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Trust (IDMT) scheme narrowly passed.
The Chairperson cast the deciding vote after the council vote tied 7-7, with three councilors abstaining.
The unresolved issues and heated exchanges suggest further debate when the council reconvenes on November 18 at 3 pm.
