MARGAO
As Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar completes two years in office on Saturday since his election to the post on October 12, 2022, questions have come to the fore in the corridors of the Municipal building and outside “ whether the civic chief will stay put in the saddle and continue to play a longer innings till the Municipality goes for an early election? Or, will Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat go for a change in leadership in the civic body before the civic polls due in early 2026?
At the birthday celebrations of the Margao Municipal Chairperson on Thursday, the Margao MLA made a plea to the municipal staff to cooperate and support the chairperson to provide good administration to the citizens. Political observers interpret Kamat’s statement as an indication that he is not in favour of disturbing the political status quo in the municipality in his fiefdom at least for the moment.
Hailing from the Bhandari Samaj, Damu Shirodkar has been Kamat’s foot soldier over the years. He is one of his close aides, who have stood behind him through thick and thin.
Observers say that a two-year tenure is a fairly long stint for a municipal chairperson to preside over the affairs of a civic body, more so when a host of aspirants are waiting in queue to take over the reins of the office. No one knows this better than the seven-time Margao MLA given that a couple of aspirants to the coveted post have been vocal in demanding a change in the leadership.
Post-2024 Lok Sabha polls, wherein Kamat struggled to give a huge lead to the BJP, the veteran leader may find himself in a tight spot taking the social engineering aspect into account. With the minorities decisively voting against the BJP in Margao in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, political observers say Kamat cannot afford to send across a wrong message by replacing Damu Shirodkar and leaving the powerful Bhandari Samaj community antagonised.
No doubt, Kamat has the option to replace Damu with a Bhandari councillor Sadanand Naik, but the latter's elevation may not in any way benefit Kamat politically since he hails from the neighbouring Fatorda constituency. That’s not all. Sadanand’s wife Babita is presently presiding over the post of Margao Municipal vice-chairperson.
When contacted, the Margao MLA quipped “this question has not been discussed and deliberated. Neither the party leadership has met nor has this matter deliberated by the leadership.”
The MMC chairperson, on the other hand, pointed out that he has left the decision on his continuance in office to Kamat and the party leadership, besides the councillors. “The Margao MLA and the BJP leadership, besides the councillors, are instrumental in electing me to the hot seat. I will abide by any decision the MLA or the party leadership takes on my future.”
While a section of ruling councillors in private say that Kamat and the party ought to have made the civic chief step down from office, the group supporting the municipal chairperson sounded categorical in saying that no fixed tenure was agreed upon nor was any understanding arrived at to rotate the post after a certain tenure.
We cleared Sonsodo mess in my tenure: Shirodkar
Margao municipal chairperson Damu Shirodkar said the civic body has almost cleared the Sosnodo mess during his two-year stint in office and is now waiting for the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) to take a call on how to go about the waste treatment.
Outlining his future plans, the Margao civic chief said the council will now go all out to mop up revenue and recover the outstanding tax arrears. Besides the Sonsodo mess, the MMC chairperson said he has been instrumental in giving promotions to around 45 municipal employees, due for a long time. Besides, he said around 250 municipal employees benefited from the pay scales which were not provided over the last three decades.
“Sonsodo issue is almost over. We have cleared the mess. The waste is now going to the Cacora waste treatment plant. The HPCC will decide on the question of setting up a treatment plant at Sonsodo," he said.
He added: “The MMC will now focus on the recovery of the tax arrears and to mop up revenue by bringing establishments and houses under the tax net. My message to the civic officials and staff is simple. We have to go all out for the recovery of dues considering that the MMC monthly salary bill works out to around Rs two crore.”
