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VASCO
The wide rift between rival BJP-backed panels at the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) will be on public display, when MMC Chairperson Kritesh Gaonkar and his deputy Shashikant Parab face a no-confidence motion at a special meeting on Friday.
The rift between the two BJP-backed panels has caused concern among BJP leaders, with even Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant intervening in the matter in a bid to unite the two groups.
According to sources, the presiding officer at the special meeting will the Commissioner of the Corporation of the City of Panaji Shashank Mani Tripathi.
Thirteen MMC Councillors led by Nandadeep Raut had moved a no-confidence motion against Gaonkar and Parab, accusing them of failing to take councillors into confidence in the matters pertaining to the MMC and for behaving arrogantly, arbitrarily and unilaterally with the public.
The motion had also stated that both Gaonkar and Parab were inefficient and have been misusing their powers, giving rise to a large scale corruption in the MMC.
A highly placed source in the MMC said the no-confidence motion had generated considerable attention and concern within the BJP leadership, with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and many senior leaders intervening in the matter in a bid to unite the two rival groups.
“Raut was called for a meeting as the chief minister wanted him to withdraw the no-confidence motion, as it had sent a wrong signal that the BJP in Mormugao had split.”
“Many BJP senior leaders, including BJP ministers and MPs, had also intervened in a bid to get Raut to withdraw the no-confidence motion.”
“However Raut is believed to have told them that it was the decision of the majority of councillors and not his alone. Raut is also reported to have said the new panel which would be elected to power after the no-confidence motion is a BJP-backed panel with councillors who have been part of BJP for a long time,” said the source.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Kritesh Gaonkar confirmed the interventions of the chief minister and senior BJP leaders.
“I am confident that the opposition panel will seriously consider the chief minister’s proposal and the opposition panel could still withdraw the no-confidence motion,” said Gaonkar.
“It is for them to ponder over the proposal by senior BJP leaders. I feel they may accept the proposal because one member from the opposition panel is now staking claim for the BJP ticket from Vasco and could be the frontrunner for the ticket. We will see what happens next,” said Gaonkar.
MMC chairperson inspects garden works outside railway station
VASCO: Undeterred over the no-confidence motion against him and his deputy on Friday, Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Chairperson Kritesh Gaonkar and Vice Chairperson Shashikant Parab went about their job to inspect work in a garden at Joshi Chowk right outside the Vasco railway station on Thursday evening.
Gaonkar and Parab were accompanied by MMC Councillors Girish Borker and Krishna Salkar as well as officials of JSW, who have taken up the works as part of the CSR initiative.
Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Gaonkar said the garden beautification project was of utmost importance, since it was right outside the Vasco railway station.
