MARGAO
In an interesting development, Wednesday’s meeting of the SGPDA to discuss and approve the controversial Margao ODP will now be held on December 23 morning, even as the PDA member Secretary Ashok Kumar has sought police protection on the day of the meeting.
The decision to hold the meeting on December 23 instead of December 21 has kicked up a row with PDA member and Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai taking exception to the intimation of the meeting via SMS.
That the SGPDA member secretary has written to the police for depute personnel at the PDA office on December 23 at the direction of PDA Chairman Mauvin Godinho indicates that the PDA is gearing up to face any eventuality against the backdrop of the siege laid by a group of residents led by the three MLAs, Digambar Kamat, Vijai Sardesai and Lavoo Mamledar.
Sources said that the PDA Chairman has also written a letter to the district police chief, Superintendent of police, South Shekar Prabhudesai recalling the chain of events that prevented him from entering the PDA office for the meeting called to discuss and approve the ODP last week.
Meanwhile, local activists Sanjeev Raiturcar and Avinash Tavares have condemned the move of the PDA to accord importance for land use and change in zones instead of giving priority for toning up the city’s infrastructure.
They demanded to know why the police has not acted on their complaint lodged against the two MLAs for causing obstruction to the people who had gone to the PDA office for official work.
Raiturcar demanded to know whether the PDA has taken cognizance of the construction of two platforms at the Margao railway station and the impact the activity will have on the station road in the future.
