MARGAO
The sudden transfer of Margao Municipal Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes has thrown up a host of questions with the government’s transfer order coming on a day when the Municipal code of conduct had already come into force.
Agnelo was still officiating as the MMC Chief Officer on Wednesday, as his successor was yet to relief him and assume charge of the A class Municipality.
However, a glance at the order issued by Under Secretary, Personnel Vishal Kundaikar, transferring Agnelo from the MMC and replacing him with the Director of Land Survey, Johnson Fernandes, indicates that the order was issued on February 22, the day when the State Election Commission announced the elections and when the election code of conduct had already come into force.
Inquiries revealed that while the State Election Commission had announced the Municipal polls on February 22 morning, Agnelo was at that time still functioning as the Chief Officer of the Margao Municipal Council.
For, the Chief Officer, giving his status as the Member Secretary of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) on Sonsodo headed by the Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant was attending a meeting of the panel at the Secretariat on February 22, indicating that even after the code of conduct had come into force on that day, Agnelo was officiating as the MMC Chief Officer.
What’s interesting to note is the fact that the transfer order dated February 22 was served on the Chief Officer a day later on February 23, with a strict brief to Agnelo as well as the new Chief Officer to comply with the process of handing over charge with immediate effect, only throwing up questions over the hurry in which the transfer order has been sought to be implemented.
That’s not all. The government has issued the lone transfer order in respect of the MMC Chief Officer, again throwing up question on the reasons behind the sudden transfer.
Against the backdrop of the bitter controversy surrounding the setting up of bio-methanation plants in the city and Agnelo’s stand that the MMC would go in for a lone bio-methanation plant instead of three to check the plant’s efficacy, questions are indeed being raised in the MMC corridors whether the Chief Officer’s stand had ruffled feathers of vested interests, keen to have all the three plants at one go without putting the technology to test.
Agnelo was posted as the MMC Chief Officer just a little over four months ago after he assumed office on October 5 last. His successor Johnson Fernandes is not new to the Margao Municipality, having worked in the Civic body, but had to face an unceremonious exit even after putting a system to mop up revenue for the Municipality.
