VASCO
Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) on Friday unanimously resolved to keep Vasco-da-Gama as the only name for the Vasco city.
Discussing the issue at the ordinary council meeting, Councillor Lavina D’Souza said her ward members are accusing her and the council for adding Sambhaji to Vasco-da-Gama on new ration cards issued by the Civil Supplies Department Vasco.
Lavina asked MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik to summon the Civil Supplies officials to explain how Sambhaji was added to Vasco-da-Gama on the new ration cards.
“The Civil Supplies department should remove Sambhaji and mention only Vasco-da-Gama on the remaining ration cards before the residents of Vasco intensify the agitation,” said Lavina.
Pascoal said Vasco-da-Gama has been used by the citizens for ages and no one had the right to play with sentiments of the people. He urged Naik to direct the Civil Supplies department to recall all the new ration cards issued to the people and remove Sambhaji and issue fresh cards.
Councillor Fredric Henrique also sought to know how Sambhaji was added to Vasco-da-Gama and requested the councillors to adopt a unanimous resolution to keep Vasco-da-Gama as the only city name and remove Sambhaji.
Henrique's also brought Naik's notice that in the government gazette dated March 17, 2011, the word “Sambahaji” was added to Vasco-da-Gama and urged him to adopt another resolution urging the government to withdraw the March 17, 2011, gazette.
Other councillors, while supporting Henrique and D’Souza, passed a unanimous resolution to keep Vasco-da-Gama as the only name and remove Sambhaji from the new ration cards.
Meanwhile, during allotment of National Food Security Act cards, the Vasco Civil Supplies Inspector Jenifer Fernandes told the media that Civil Supplies Director Vikas Gaunekar has written a letter to the Revenue Secretary to remove Sambhaji from the notification, as there is anger among the citizens of Vasco.
