THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
The government has finally constituted the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) headed by Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa, but not before triggering a row of sorts with Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudeasi finding no place on the planning panel.
The Goa Forward women’s cell was quick to slam the government, saying the omission of the MMC Chairperson and the absence of any women member on the panel only speaks of gender bias.
Perhaps for the first time in recent years, the Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council finds no place on the planning body. To add insult to injury, Chairperson of the Quepem Municipal Council Dayesh Naik is inducted on the panel, though Quepem Municipal area is not a planning area under the SGDPA jurisdiction.
Apparently departing from the practice of nominating Margao Municipal Chairperson on the planning body, whose jurisdiction extends to the Municipal areas of Margao and Ponda, the government has inducted two Margao Municipal Councilors, Rupesh Mahatme and Ketan Kurtarkar, both BJP Councilors on the body.
Incidentally, Ponda Municipal Chairperson Venkatesh Naik and a Councilor Vishwanath Dalvi have found a place on the body, leaving only the Margao Municipal Chairperson out of the planning panel.
Goa Women Forward general secretary Sampada Pednekar along with other members held an urgent media briefing on Wednesday evening to question the government’s departure from the established practice of nominating the Margao Municipal Chief on the planning body.
Pednekar further demanded to know there’s no women member on the planning panel, even as they wondered whether there’s a gender bias in the omission of any women member from the panel.
“Since inception, the PDA had always inducted the Chairpersons of the two Civic bodies, irrespective of the fact whether the Councils are headed by women or men. Is it because the MMC is headed by a woman that the government has departed from this practice,” she questioned.
Goa Women Forward member Dorian further said there would have been no problem even if the BJP government had to induct any of its women members on the planning panel. “We are not politicisng the issue, but we feel there ought to have been a woman on the body. It’s not proper to exclude women from the planning body,” Dorian said, adding “the government should have given representation to women in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for the empowerment of women in the country.
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai also slammed the government on the exclusion of women from the SGPDA panel, demanding to know whether the government intends to bring Quepem under the PDA to turn the taluka into a concrete jungle. He also pooh poohed the government for ignoring women on the PDA panel at a time when women are observing Navratri festival.
No violation of PDA rules whatsoever: Kavlekar
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: Deputy Chief Minister, Chandrakant Kavlekar, who also holds the Town and Country Planning portfolio, has denied that the government has violated the provisions of the Planning Act by excluding MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai from the SGDPA panel.
When the Goan contacted the TCP Minister to shed light on the controversy surrounding the SGPDA constitution, Kavlekar said the PDA rules only stipulates induction of Councilors on the PDA body. “We have ensured that the planning body has two Councilors each from the Margao and Ponda Municipal body, which constitutes the planning areas of the SGPDA,” he said.
