Vasco has not seen any degree of development during the past several years. In the past the reason attributed for this was that Mormugao Municipal Council was plagued by instability. Now, though there is stability in the council, what has plagued this present council is that a different chairperson heads the council by rotation after every six months.
It is almost impossible for any person to carry out development work in a period of six months. All development work comes to a standstill as there is no continuity of work. It is the people and the city as a whole which have to suffer. What is the logic behind having a different chairperson every six months? Is it to keep every councilor in good humour? In the past Vasco had a single chairperson for the entire five-year term. It is time this ‘chairperson-by rotation’ business is stopped. If need be the State Assembly should bring in legislation to put an end to this concept of having a change in the chairperson of any civic body by rotation after a specific time period.
The council has passed 300 resolutions but has failed to implement a single resolution. The resolutions are reportedly on paper and lying in files. Development in all 20 wards is pending. Except for the Ravindra Bhavan that has come up in Baina the port town has not seen any development in the past 20 years. The pending projects include repair and renovation of MMC building, garbage treatment at Headland Sada, fish and vegetable market. The five fountains in the town which are a major attraction are in a dilapidated condition.
Vasco lost a golden opportunity to be selected for the smart city project. The town has several vital installations like the IOC terminus, the Dabolim airport, the Mormugao Harbour, railway station, ship-building facility, etc. Hence it would have been the ideal candidate for the smart city project. It appears that not much effort has been put in by the powers-that-be to make the port town a strong contender for the smart city scheme. The elections to the civic body will be held in the month of October. The residents have the opportunity to bring a change in the composition of the municipal body.
