MARGAO
In an election year when politicians woo the electorate to keep them in good humour, the Margao Municipality is believed to have turned proactive in issuing various types of No Objection Certificates (NOCs).
In fact, a day after the “missing files” episode rocked the Margao Municipal Council, issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for water and electricity connections under the Public Health Act has come under the radar of Municipal employees and City Fathers alike.
If Municipal officials are to be believed, hundreds, if not thousands of NOCs, including water and electricity connections, have been issued by the Civic body in recent times. Touts and middlemen doing the rounds of the Municipal building to push applications for these NOCs is an open secret. Sources said that even politicians and their henchmen have been pushing for the NOCs in the corridors of the municipality, with a liberal MMC granting hundreds of NOCs in recent months.
In fact, an official pointed out that officials of the technical section have been issuing around 10 such NOCs a day on an average, with or without documentation.
What’s more, the register which was maintained to record the issuance of NOCs have reportedly gone missing from the official records since the last two days. “The register cannot be traced in the record books of the Civic body since the last two days. We have been trying to trace the register, which would have given an insight into the number of NOCs issued under the Public Health Act and other provisions of law”, sources said.
Besides NOCs under the Health Act, it is learnt that NOCs for other purposes, including constructions, have been issued by the Civic body sans documents. An official in the know conceded that the Public Health Act provides for NOCs for water and electricity, but instances are galore when NOCs have been issued without considering documentation and cross checking.
The official added: “We have come across at least 2-3 touts and agents loitering around the technical section to push for the applications for NOCs”.
MARGAO: The missing file on Sonsodo shed that had triggered a pandemonium at the Margao Municipal Council meeting on Thursday surfaced in the municipal building later in the evening.
Sources informed that the file was traced in the evening itself. Technical staff declined to accept the file, but asked the concerned engineer to enter the file at the entry to maintain the record. While the engineer had all along maintained that he had handed over the file to the dealing clerk, he later came with the file which was entered at the entry desk.
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council got a new Municipal Engineer Manoj Arsekar on Friday, replacing incumbent Diniz D’Mello. While the Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes relieved Diniz of his duties after Arsekar assumed office, Chairperson Lyndon Pereira and Councilors found that the Municipal Engineer’s chamber locked.
After a meeting with the Councilors, the Municipal Chairperson called up the Chief Officer to direct the outgoing Municipal engineer to hand over the keys of the chamber as well as the official mobile phone.
The Chairperson had instructed the officials to send a vehicle to the residence of the outgoing engineer to get the keys.
