MARGAO
Margao Municipal Chief Officer Rohit Kadam’s initiative for a public interaction scheduled on Monday evening was cancelled at the eleventh hour leaving citizens who turned up for the meeting a disappointed lot.
While a notice put up on the entrance door to the MMC hall stated that the meeting stands cancelled as the Chief Officer had to proceed to Panaji for a meeting, citizens saw red, pointing fingers of suspicion at the powers that be for pressurizing Kadam to cancel the meeting.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Lyndon Pereira steered clear of the row surrounding the MMC Chief Officer’s initiative saying the councillors had called on him on Monday morning to convey their sentiments that the Chief Officer did not take them into confidence before calling for the interaction with citizens.
“I was out of the station when the Chief Officer had called for the public interaction. Today morning, a group of councillors called on me to point out that the CO did not take the elected members into confidence before calling for the public meeting. At around noon, the Chief Officer called up to convey that the meeting is cancelled,” Lyndon said, adding that he has no idea whether Kadam will hold the interaction in the future.
Citizens, however, rallied behind the Chief Officer, saying a good initiative with the citizens has been called up because of political pressure.
“The Chief Officer may give excuses for cancelling the meeting, but it is obvious and crystal clear that there was pressure on the officer not to go ahead with the meeting. This was unaccepted of the City Fathers as well as those controlling the civic body,” asserted former MMC chairperson Savio Coutinho.
"Councillors and the elected representatives may have the impression that once they are elected by the voters, they are the absolute bosses of the city. However, their insecurities towards the involvement of citizens for the welfare of the city send a crystal clear signal that they fear transparency and have a lot to hide," Coutinho said.
He added: “We want to convey that if our elected representatives wish to have the meeting along with all of them (elected representatives), then it would still be a welcome for us. Instead of making suggestions, raising issues before the Chief Officer, and subsequently placing the suggestions before the council, would be a long route. As such, a common meeting could surely be thought of as soon as possible."
Another citizen Melita Coelho lamented that higher-ups did not want the meeting to take place with the citizens.
“We only want to give our suggestion for the good of the city,” she added.
Chairman of NGO Margao First Vinayak Mordekar said what has happened is bad, more so when the city is plagued by a whole lot of issues, including traffic and parking, which was on the agenda of the Chief officer’s interaction.
Citizens want platforms at civic
bodies on lines of gram sabhas
MARGAO:
Disappointed over the cancellation of the public interaction initiated by the Margao Municipal Chief Officer Rohit Kadam, citizens of Margao and Fatorda have been left to wonder why the Goa Municipalities Act does not provide for public interactions at municipal bodies like the Panchayat gram sabhas for the citizens to air their grievances and offer suggestions for the good of the city.
Former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho, activist Vinayak Mordekar and architect Carlos Gracias all insisted on the oft-repeated demand for platforms at the civic bodies on the lines of gram sabhas.
“It is high time the government of the day bring about the desired changes in the Municipalities Act and make provision for public interactions at the municipal bodies like the panchayat gram sabhas,” demanded former MMC chairperson Savio Coutinho.
He said citizens in municipal areas have no avenue to voice their grievances and suggestions in the absence of mandatory provision for gram sabha-like platforms.
“Such a platform will not only help the citizens voice their suggestions but ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of the civic bodies,” Coutinho added.
Vinayak Morderkar and Gracias echoed similar sentiments by pointing out that the government should make a provision in the Act for the mandatory gram sabha-like meetings at the municipal bodies.
