Councillors Sushila, Gonzaco drafted for MMC chief, dy
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, NOV 9
It’s official. Former Councillor Sushila Naik is all set to be the next Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council, even as the Congress-backed Councillors-elect have agreed in principle to rotate the post of chairperson and vice chairperson every year.
Councillor-elect Gonzaco Rebello from the Sardesai Camp will be the new vice chairperson. Both Sushila and Gonzaco would remain in office till the next Assembly polls scheduled early 2012.
The leadership issue concerning the Margao civic body was decided at a meeting the Congress-backed Councillors-elect held at the residence of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday noon. Members from both the (Kamat and Sardesai) camps camp attended the meeting.
What finally went in favour of Sushila was not only her seniority as a former Councillor, but the close rapport she enjoys with the chief minister, besides being a member of the majority community. That she would remain in saddle till the Assembly polls indicates that the chief minister wanted to have someone of his choice not only to implement his agenda for the city, but to take the electoral battle further into the BJP camp ahead of the 2012 polls.
Kamat told newsmen after the meeting that both Sushila and Gonzaco would occupy the posts till the Assembly elections, adding that the post would be rotated amongst the aspirants every year. “After my discussions with the Councilors-elect from Margao and Fatorda, everyone wanted a stable council and a people’s friendly administration. I also took into account the seniority of the Councilors before taking the decision”, he added.
On the rotation of the posts, Kamat said the Councilors have agreed in principle to rotate the posts every year to ensure better coordination amongst the City Fathers. “I have told the Councilors that they should work for the betterment of the city to make the city free from garbage”, he said, while strongly favoured administrative reforms to make the Civic bodies responsive to the needs of the people.
The Chief Minister exuded confidence that elections for the post of Chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Margao Civic body would be unopposed following his meeting with the Councilors-elect.
When asked about the four councilors who are neither in his camp nor in the camp of Sardesai, Kamat said some of them have called on him and offered their support to the rotation system. “Councilors-elect Arthur D’Silva and Tito Cardozo have offered their support to the arrangement worked out by me in the interest of the city”, he added.
Meanwhile, Sushila told newsmen that she would accord top most priority to solve the garbage woes facing the city.
She promised to solve the garbage problem with the help of the Councilors and the government and put in place a people-friendly administration. “The Civic administration should be peoples-friendly. A day’s work cannot be dragged on for 4-5 days. Citizens cannot be harassed for no fault”, she said.
On the parking front, she said that the parking problem is secondary and would concentrate on the resolving the garbage problem to make the city clean and green.
