The sudden transfer of Mormugao Municipal Council Chief Officer Siddhivinayak S Naik has exposed the growing influence of political interests over the functioning of public institutions. Coming barely a week after the devastating Sunday Market fire in Vasco, the decision to move a serving officer to the Department of Personnel without assigning him any specific responsibility raises serious questions.
The events leading up to the transfer point to an apparent fallout between Naik and Vasco MLA Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar. In the aftermath of the fire, Naik took several steps. He began scrutinising compensation claims, issued eviction notices to clear affected market premises, and proposed a comprehensive fire insurance arrangement in which shopkeepers would share the cost. He also took a firm position on buildings suspected of being structurally unsafe.
Salkar, however, criticised Naik for creating panic by issuing notices and threats of eviction. Naik, meanwhile, maintained that the municipal council was simply carrying out its legal duties. That disagreement appears to have come at a cost. An officer’s responsibility is to uphold the law, not to adjust its enforcement according to the political convenience of elected representatives. If issuing statutory notices becomes a matter of political approval, the very foundations of fair administration will crumble. Public safety cannot become negotiable simply because enforcement measures are politically uncomfortable.
What is further baffling is the fact that Naik has been replaced by Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Madhu G. Narvekar, who has been given additional charge of Mormugao. This arrangement is questionable. Both Mormugao and Margao are Class A municipal councils, managing large and demanding urban areas with complex requirements. One cannot expect an already burdened officer to hold additional charge of an equally demanding area.
At a time when Vasco is struggling with the aftermath of a devastating market fire, it needs an officer who can devote his full attention to rehabilitation, safety inspections and administrative coordination. Expecting one officer to manage two major municipalities would mean doing injustice to both. Furthermore, Narvekar is already facing challenges in Margao. The ghost of previous market fires at Margao continues to haunt him. He is yet to act on the many potentially dangerous structures dotting the city. Add to this the two contempt petitions relating to illegal structures.
Assigning him additional responsibility in Vasco, particularly when fire safety and building security require immediate attention, seems like a hasty administrative decision without adequate thought. The Sunday Market tragedy should have prompted the government to strengthen municipal administration and improve preparedness. Instead, the decisions that have followed risk weakening the very system expected to prevent another such disaster.
There is a larger issue here. When officers face the prospect of punitive transfers for taking decisions that are not in alignment with local politicians, the message to the bureaucracy is damaging. It weakens the system and creates an environment of hesitancy in which officials will be reluctant to enforce regulations against influential interests.
The government must recognise that municipal governance cannot be run on political convenience. Elected representatives have an important role in raising public concerns and holding officials accountable, but that responsibility must not step on the independent enforcement of safety regulations. The government must appoint a dedicated, full-time Chief Officer to Mormugao, someone with the authority, experience and independence to restore confidence in the municipal administration and enforce safety standards without fear or favour. Public safety has to come before political egos or gains.
