Cuncolim citizens led by MLA Clafacio Dias assemble outside the CMC building. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO: Cuncolim Municipal Council witnessed an uproar following a group of residents led by Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias and BJP-backed councillors breaking open the locks of three shops in the Golden Jubilee project, which have been allotted to the Director of Health Services to set up an emergency health care centre.
What infuriated the group was the refusal by CMC Chairperson Laximan Naik to hand over the keys of the three rooms for the health officials to take the possession. Heated exchanges ensued between the chairperson and the group led by the MLA.
The MLA had planned to commission the 24x7 emergency health care centre in three shops on his birthday scheduled for September 25.
The CMC chairperson later lodged a complaint with the Cuncolim police alleging trespass into his cabin by the group of persons and for breaking the locks of the three shops.
Cuncolim PI Gurudas Kadam, however, said no case has been made out by the CMC chairperson. He said the issue of trespass does not arise when the Municipal Chief Officer Violet Gomes has allocated the shops in the Golden Jubilee project on temporary basis in view of the administrative approval granted by the government and the urgency and public interest represented by the Primary Health Centre, Balli.
MLA Clafacio along with BJP-backed councillors Polita Carneiro, Vishal Desai along with a group of citizens rushed to the Cuncolim Municipal Council on Thursday morning to ask for the keys of the three shops. They questioned the chairperson why he had taken the keys home when it ought to be kept in the Council building with the officials.
The MLA wondered why the MMC chairperson is indulging in politics over the opening of the care centre when it will benefit the citizens from the Municipal area. He said the three rooms were suddenly locked at the time of carrying out work on electrical fittings even after the government has granted all approvals to set up the care centre in the shops. “When the care centre is expected to benefit the people, I fail to understand at whose behest the chairperson is trying to put spokes in the project”, he said, warning that the people of Cuncolim will not keep quite over the CMC action.
Chairperson Naik, however, asserted that he is only complying with the law. He said issues on water and power connection, besides fire NOC and valuable by the PWD need to be done before the rooms are handed over to the health department. “For this reason, I told them a meeting of the CMC will be called to discuss these issues before handing over the shops. I have refused to hand over the shops, but only after proper compliance and documentation”, Naik said, adding that the group was in haste to open the care centre on Saturday to coincide with the MLA’s birthday.
