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THE GOAN SPECIAL
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Power Minister Milind Naik has managed to literally takeover a playground owned by the Mormugao Port Trust in Vasco, thus making it mandatory for anyone seeking to use it to get his permission.
Consequently, the ground is no longer available to NGOs, social organizations and sports event organisers unless they are on the same page as the power minister.
Despite having a policy of keeping political influences at arm’s length, a policy which was used to recently block the Aam Aadmi Party from organizing a meet at the Mormugao Port Institute, the MPT bent backwards to accommodate Milind Naik.
Naik had written a letter to the The Mormugao Port Trust Education Society (MPTES) on June 24, indicating his interest in “reservation of playground facility at Deepvihar high school”, which is managed by MPTES.
In a reply to Naik on July 1, the MPTES stated “the management of MPTES has considered your request and would like to inform that the Deepvihar High School playground facility is also made available to various schools under Sada Super Complex, besides renowned NGOs, various social organizations and the local youth of the Mormugao constituency use for their sports events.”
“However, since the minister is the MLA of Mormugao constituency, preferential consideration will be accorded for allotment of the Deepvihar Secondary School playground facility at the Deepvihar High School on Sundays and holidays on specific request for permission, event wise and on case to case basis.”
“You are therefore requested to kindly inform the concerned to submit their request applications with the recommendation of the minister in advance, by furnishing details of the events scheduled to be held commencing from July 3 to January 29, 2017,” the MPTES letter stated.
CONGRESS REQUEST: Incidentally, Congress Spokesman Sankalp Amonkar had applied to the MPT chairman on July 2, seeking permission to use the MPT ground for an inter-ward Rajiv Gandhi rolling trophy football tournament from July 17 to 24.
On June 30, a Congress supporter Shekhar Dabolkar of Headland Sada had sought permission to use the same ground for a football tournament on all Sundays in July.
In reply to Dabolkar's application, the MPTES general secretary on July 2 stated “your request can be considered subject to non-requirement of ground by the minister after confirmation.”
MPTES is still to reply to the application made by Amonkar. “I will be meeting the MPT Chairman I Jayakumar within the next two days to ascertain the status of my application and accordingly, I will initiate further course of action,” Sankalp Amonkar told The Goan.
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PORT'S DUAL POLICY?
* Power Minister seeks reservation of playground facility at Deepvihar High School
* MPT Education Society agrees to accord preferential consideration to his request
* Similarly, Congress Spokesman Sankalp Amonkar seeks permission to use MPT ground
* MPT Education Society is still to reply to the application made by Sankalp Amonkar
* Also, Cong supporter Shekhar Dabolkar's request for use of same ground bites the dust
* Above all, AAP request to hold a meeting at MPT accepted initially but declined later
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WHAT MPT HAS TO SAY
* MPT PRO Seby Coutinho states that he was not aware if the playground was to allotted to the youth of Mormugao at the request of the local MLA
* He said he does not grant permissions nor are the files routed through his office and as such, he was not in position to elaborate much on the issue
* Comment declined on cancellation of AAP request to hold a meet and then permitting power minister to recommend events at MPTES ground
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POWER MINISTER HAS
AN EXPLANATION
* Power Minister Milind Naik admitted he had booked the ground for two years through the South Goa Collector as the other grounds at Headland Sada were being upgraded.
* Naik said he only paid heed to the request of local youth and once the playgrounds are completed, there will never be a need to use the school playground as "Headland Sada will have four different play grounds for the benefit of local youth”
* He said he booked the ground through the South Goa Collector in 2014 for locals to play every Sunday and other holidays
