TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The once postponed Corporation of the City of Panaji mayoral elections which had raked up a storm, finally got off the ground Thursday and ended smoothly with the Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate backed 14-member group holding together to ensure the election of longtime councillor and corporator Surendra Furtado as the mayor of the CCP. Bento Loreno, from the same panel was elected as the deputy mayor.
Before the final countdown, the tense atmosphere in the crowded CCP conference hall, where three MLAs including Monserrate and a couple of lawyers and large number of supporters from both sides were present, was punctuated with a little drama. As soon as the formality of the withdrawals was over with, Furtado rose and questioned commissioner/returning officer Sanjit Rodrigues as to the reason why a secret ballot was needed for the elections when in the previous elections a show of hands was seen as adequate.
As there was no reaction from the commissioner, Furtado turned to his colleagues and asked those who were supporting him to raise their hands. And promptly 16 hands shot up. To reinforce this, the corporators all stood up.
As one watched with bated breath and surely some trepidation, the elections went along expected lines and Surendra Furtado was elected mayor through secret ballot with 16-14 votes, to end weeks of civic drama. Bento Loreno was elected as deputy mayor with the same margin.
After that the lists of the various committees was decided by the newly elected mayor.
Mayor Surendra Furtado, in his first address, first thanked God for having bestowed on him the privilege to take up this august office of the Mayor; and then he thanked Babush for extending his support and giving him this opportunity to prove himself.
Post elections, St Cruz MLA Monserrate was scathing in his comments on the CM. “The chief minister tried his level best. Even last night he gave a call to our councillors saying that he had fixed the secret ballot and they should vote according to their conscience,” Babush said, adding that the people (corporators) had voted according to their conscience – in his (CM’s) own constituency and “he should hang his head in shame.”
Given the history and the drama over the postponement of the elections and then the battle in the Assembly and the Court, the ending to the civic elections was unexpectedly tame.
Furtado also thanked his 15 corporators, his voters and his family for having reposed their trust and confidence in him. He also thanked the Leader of the Opposition Pratapsing Rane, and former CM Digambar Kamat as well as MLAs Reginaldo Lourenco, Vijai Sardessai, Vishwajit Rane, Pandurang Madkaikar and Babu Kavlekar for their “staunch support”.
The new mayor promised to do his best to get sanctioned the JNNRUM funds for developmental works of the city which for a long time has remained unclaimed and which will help to transform the face of the city. “I wish to state that I would seek to take sustainable practical measures to develop Panjim in a step-by-step manner and complete many of the incomplete works pending for a very long time. I also wish to state that new bye-laws of the CCP will be framed to incorporate provisions that enable more efficient measures to be taken for smooth functioning of the CCP,” Mayor Furtado said giving a rallying call to his CCP staff and workers, to work with dedication towards achieving the goals and promised to protect their rights and interests.
The new mayor promised to set up a Citizens Facilitation Centre, “which will be a single window system so that citizens and businessmen from Panjim who approach the CCP for their works and with complaints shall not be harassed but in fact guided by the staff and a time-frame for disposing off their files/complaints will be maintained.”
He emphasised that his thrust areas would be on maintaining cleanliness of the city and the market, streamlining the traffic, pay parking, multi-storied parking, integrated transport system, garbage treatment plant and waste collection, development of St Inez nullah, efficient drainage system, making Panjim city pedestrian friendly, setting up of parks and gardens and lastly restoring the fiscal health of the CCP.
MAYOR’S PRIORITIES
* City and market cleanliness
* Streamlining traffic/pay parking/multi-storied parking
* Integrated transport system
* Garbage treatment plant/waste collection
* Development of St Inez nullah
* Efficient drainage system
* Pedestrian friendly Panjim
* Strengthening finances of CCP
* Setting up of parks and gardens
