MARGAO
Four months after the Moti Dongor fort crumbled when the residents gave a lead for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat offered a handshake to the migrant inhabitants on Saturday.
“I cannot forget those who have been with me in my political journey over the years. Moti Dongor will be known for the good things in future,” Kamat thundered atop the hillock as he inaugurated a police outpost for the benefit of the local residents.
The seven-time Margao MLA made no mention of the status of the process to rehabilitate the migrant inhabitants atop Moti Dongor. He, however, vowed to take up the balance works at Moti Dongor. “I had to take criticism from the people and media over Moti Dongor. This basty has been existing even before I became a councillor of the Margao Municipality in 1985. During my stint as MLA, I have taken care of the inhabitants by building a school building in the locality. Today, I am happy to state that a student from the Moti Dongor school has risen to become a lecturer in a prominent college in Margao,” he said.
He added. “Those who have stood with me, I cannot forget them easily. Issues such as parking and an alternate road to the locality will be put in place soon. Last five years, we have not seen any more incidents at Moti Dongor.”
Saying the police outpost at Moti Dongor will help the people with their petty grievances, Kamat said the police presence will deter outsiders going into the locality and indulging in anti-social activities.
He urged the people to do good things so that people from rest of Margao look at them for the good reasons, even as he made a plea to cooperate with the police stationed atop the hillock.
Superintendent of Police, South Sunita Sawant said the police outpost at Moti Dongor will be manned by an Assistant Sub-Inspector, besides a havaldar, three constables and two home guards, besides a motorcycle rider. “People from Moti Dongor need not go to the Margao police station any longer. They can take their complaints to the ASI manning the police outpost. If the matter is serious, the ASI will call the Margao police station in-charge how to go about the work,” she said.
SP Sawant made a humble plea to the local inhabitants to cooperate with the police by informing the men-in-uniform over the suspicious presence of outsiders. “Treat the police as your friends and not enemies,” she said, adding that the residents should help the police via their local network system.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, DySP Santosh Desai, Margao PI Tulsidas Naik, besides former Superintendent, PWD Prasad Panandikar and others were present.
