the goan I network
MARGAO
Reason: The TCP Minister has conveyed to the Chief Minister that the party is keen in having its own men at the helm of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority and the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao “ the two much-sought after bodies, which the GFP is unlikely to concede to the major coalition partner.
Reliable sources said that when the Chief Minster went about distributing the state-owned corporations to party MLAs, who could not be accommodated with ministerial berths due to coalition pressures, the GFP supremo reportedly called up Parrikar with a plea to go slow as far as the SGPDA and Ravindra Bhavan are concerned.
Sardesai’s SOS to the CM came after reports spoke about former minister and BJP Mormugao MLA Milind Naik was tipped to be appointed as the SGPDA chairman.
Sources close to the TCP Minister said that Sardesai, who heads the TCP Board by virtue of being the TCP Minister, does not want a confrontation between the Board and the SGDPA in future taking into account that the PDA is yet to finalise the controversial ODP and the Fatorda MLA having his own plan vis-Ã - vis the planning process. He has held the stand that any controversial actions and decisions of the SGPDA can be overruled by the TCP board, but the Minister is believed to have made it clear to the CM that he wants a system in place wherein the PDA and the TCP Board function in a coordinated manner.
Sardesai’s stand assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of reports that he may favour scrapping of the controversial Margao ODP, which was sought to be passed in haste when the SGPDA was headed by MLA Mauvin Godinho. The TCP Minister’s stand assumes all the more significance given the fact that Mauvin had made it clear before the election results that he would also play a role in the finalization of the Margao ODP if the BJP government comes to power in the state.
Given the hue and cry raised over the controversial ODP and the fact that Sardesai along with Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had vociferously opposed the finalization of the ODP, the TCP Minister, sources said, favours someone other than any BJP MLA to head the SGPDA so that the TCP board and the SGPDA gel well in the scheme of things.
When contacted, the TCP Minister said all these issues will be discussed with the CM so that the SGPDA and the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, have capable men at the helm of affairs.
