MAPUSA
Whenever people approach the Mapusa civic body they have been constrained to redress their grievances in the absence of an administrative head, said the Mapusa Shadow Council and demanded the appointment of a full-time chief officer in the Mapusa Municipal Council.
The shadow council has also said that the chairperson of Mapusa was trying to avoid them by denying permission to meet them.
The convenors of the Mapusa Shadow Council, Sanjay Barde and Sudesh Tivrekar along with other members recently met the Director of Municipal Administration Gurudas Pilarnkar and explained about the difficulty faced by the public in absence of the chief officer.
“Appointments have been denied frequently by the Chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal Council and since there is no Chief Officer we are unable to put forth our grievances,” said Convenor, Sanjay Barde.
He said several people who approach the office of the chief officer were forced to go back causing hardship to the residents of Mapusa.
He further disclosed that in absence of the chief officer all the cases on illegal constructions pending before him were being adjourned to an indefinite period disturbing the people’s schedule.
The shadow council has also pointed out that a part-time chief officer was ineffective for a big town like Mapusa and therefore appealed for a full-time chief officer.
“It is the demand of the people of Mapusa for swift appointment of a fulltime Chief Officer, as it has been observed that in the recent past a part-time appointment has not helped the cause but only compounds the issues/problems of Mapusa,” Barde said.
Incidentally, in less than a month, the Mapusa civic body has seen three officers holding the charge of chief officer.
Deputy Director of Urban Development Deepesh Priolkar was first directed to officiate as the Chief Officer of Mapusa. However, he never took charge of the post and later the charge was given to the Bardez Deputy Collector, Rajesh Azgaonkar.
Presently, Administrative of Comunidade, North, Ulhas Kadam has been asked to officiate as the chief officer.
