MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council’s (MMC) special meeting to modify a resolution on sopo rates fixed for vendors at the Bodgeswar zatra, taken at an ordinary meeting held on January 3, has come under a cloud as the civic body has failed to follow rules.
The council which had called for the meeting on Tuesday had to defer it after two councillors “ Prakash Bhivshet and Shashank Narvekar “ questioned the legality of the meeting.
Quoting the rule book, the councillors pointed out that as per Section 78 sub-section 15 of the Goa Municipal Act “No resolution of a council can be modified or cancelled within three months after the passing of the resolution except by a resolution supported by not less than one-half of the total number of councillors and passed at the meeting of which notice shall have been given fulfilling all the requirements”.
Bhivshet pointed out that even for an emergency meeting, a one day’s notice has to be served to the councillors about the special meeting which was not fulfilled in this case.
“And fixing or modifying the sopo rate for vendors is not even an emergency event. Emergency is when there is a huge natural disaster like a situation like a cyclone. What’s the emergency in fixing Sopo rate?” Bhivshet questioned.
Councillor Shashank Narvekar also pointed out the technical lapses in calling for the meeting and warned that any resolution taken on the meeting would be illegal and there could be repercussions against the councilors.
The meeting chaired by Vice Chairman Chandrashekar Benkar in absence of the Chairperson was finally deferred without adopting any resolution.
Surprisingly, the council re-convened the meeting on Wednesday and passed a new resolution by modifying the earlier one where the sopo rate fixed for the vendors were reduced.
The resolution was adopted by 14 councilors while Shashank Narvekar abstained from voting.
“This meeting is illegal and the resolution is also not tenable as per the provisions of the Municipal Act. I have abstained because I do not want to smear my hands in an unlawful activity,” Narvekar said.
Five councillors “ Vice Chairperson Chandrashekar Benkar, Vikas Arolkar, Prakash Bhivshet, Komal D’Souza and Anand Bhaidkar “ were not present for the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Chairperson Shubanghi Vaigankar.
Incidentally, in Wednesday’s meeting there was another goof up where Vice Chairperson Chandrashekar Benkar has signed the notice calling for the special meeting in the capacity of ‘Acting Chairperson’ when the Chairperson Shubanghi Vaigankar was very much present in town.
