BICHOLIM: Rebutting allegations by the opposition councillors, Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar and the ruling members of Bicholim Municipal Council have stated they are in support of 15-mts widening of road from Mulgao to Bicholim and not for 30-mts road.
Addressing a press conference here in the city, ten councillors and the MLA stated that the opposition is trying to misguide the public through media by giving false information.
Earlier two councillors including Nissar Sheikh, Medha Bordekar and an ex-councillor Kamlakar Teli had questioned the performance of the BMC. They had alleged that the Bicholim MLA on one hand is trying to support the Mulgao residents against widening of road while on the other was trying to widen the road from Walshi to Bicholim.
“We are taking up development of all the wards including the wards of the opposition. So there is no scope for the opposition to say that we are trying to misguide the public about development,” BMC Chairman Satish Gaonkar said.
Gaonkar told BMC is given special grants by the Parrikar government. “The file of overall development and projects related to Bicholim has gone from the law department to urban secretary and it is in the final stage,” Gaonkar disclosed adding, “We have already taken NOC from the PWD regarding the beautification of road from Walshi to Bicholim.” He also gave a copy of the NOC to the reporters.
“We have several projects in the pipeline. Besides the beautification, there are other projects including an income generating project behind the municipality and the expression of interest tender would be opened on 27th of this month,” Gaonkar told denouncing the act of the opposition councillors.
MLA Patnekar said that the ‘guru’ of the opposition councillors is not properly guiding them. “There is no double standard when I supported the Mulgao residents against the road widening. We are opposing 30-40 mts road widening where maximum houses would have to be demolished. We are supporting widening of roads of only 15 mts; seven and half meters from the centre of the road,” Patnekar clarified.
