VASCO: War of words between Urban Development Minister Milind Naik and Mormugao Municipal Council Vice Chairperson Reema Sonurlekar over the non allocation of labourers in the wards of Mormugao Constituency went viral on Monday after an audio conversation started circulating on social media.
Urban Development Minister claimed that he had to call Sonurlekar as he learnt that she had obstructed the allocation of labourers. Sonurlekar refuted all the allegations and showed surprise over the conversation going viral on social media.
An audio clipping of a telephonic conversation between Urban Development Minister and MMC vice chairperson went viral on Monday morning in which there was a verbal clash over the allocation of municipal labourers between Sonurlekar and Naik.
Later, when Herald contacted Milind Naik, he stated that he had to call Sonurlekar and talk to her about allocation of labourers after he heard from the councillors of his panel that allocation of municipal labourers are managed and monitored by Sonurlekar and the councillors from his panel are deprived of municipal labourers whenever they are in grave need.
When asked why he wanted the labourers at his house as heard in the recording, to this Naik said, “He actually meant he urgently needed municipal labourers for wards from his constituency. I have not used municipal labourers for my personal work for a single day. There is garbage issue and the councillors as well as the locals were demanding repeatedly labourers for cleaning and other manual works in the wards, but after knowing that Sonurlekar is obstructing the allocation of the labourers to my councillors time and again, I had to call to enquire. Even giving importance to people’s plea of providing labourers in their wards, I had to apologise to one councillor, being a minister, just to see that people should not suffer and works are done.”
When contacted, vice chairperson Sonurlekar, she gave a shocking revelation that the leaked conversation is 8 to 10 days old. She also claimed that she has not made this audio clipping viral and if she desired then she could have done it 8 to 10 days before.
Sonurlekar gave explanation stating that whatever she spoke she showed it to her seniors be it political party senior or others.
She informed that she had reported this issue to her superior in Panjim. The main issue here is shortage of labourers and we have only eight municipal labourers to do the cleaning of drains in all 25 wards on a daily basis and I have to manage it.
She further opined that in the conversation the minister seems to be frustrated and I was also annoyed over the conversation. I don’t know how this conversation got viral.
She revealed that she was shocked to see messages received by her from people regarding this conversation. And was unaware who spilled the beans.
She also claimed that after she got elected as vice chairperson she was given the responsibility to look after municipal garage which she is doing. Before her, the Opposition panel’s one councillor was managing the garage when they were in power.
Sonurlekar also revealed that around 18 contract-based municipal labourers are not in service and therefore it is difficult to allocate labourers in all wards.
It may be recalled that a few days back the Opposition councillors have come out in the open against the Vice Chairperson Reema Sonurlekar for not allotting the labourers in the wards of the Opposition councillors and had blamed her for playing politics in providing labourers. Later, the ruling panel of the MMC has taken a press briefing in that Sonurlekar had refuted the allegations made against her.
