MARGAO: It’s déjà vu for the residents living under the jurisdiction of the Margao Municipal Council. A slight difference between then and now is that 25 councillors instead of 20 will be making promises. Only time will tell if they can fulfill the same.
Most of the residents of Margao, Aquem, Fatorda and Gogol are fed up with the empty promises being given by candidates and the subsequent failure to drastically improve the MMC’s ability to deliver on basic amenities.
There are high expectations from the potential councillors, who have a mountain to climb as they have to sort out major infrastructural issues and offer what the previous councillors could not.
The issues that need urgent attention in Margao are garbage disposal, parking spaces, market issues and the digging works of JICA and Sewerage Corporation.
Amidst the launching of manifestos, there is a pertinent problem that hasn’t been solved by councillors of three terms: the garbage dumping site at Sonsoddo. The treatment plant has started functioning, but it hasn’t been scientifically used till today.
The ‘Battle for Margao’ debate held by HCN and Herald managed to pressurize the MMC to smoothen out some of the problems, like the garbage collection at the source and the transportation of the same. However, much remains to be done by the MMC with respect to treatment and also the clearing the dump.
When contacted, outgoing MMC chairperson Arthur D’Silva proudly said, “It was in my tenure that the plant at Sonsoddo begun functioning. I consider it as my great achievement as the chairperson. Not just garbage, the parking project which has not been done since decades has been set in motion by me, and that is for the MMC signature project.”
Another issue that troubles Margao residents and visitors daily is vehicular parking. A traffic official said that on an average, around 400 vehicles are either not parked correctly or parked in no-parking zones. However, there is no place where people can actually park their vehicles. Several commercial buildings are also adding to the traffic. The new council has an uphill task to first get open land and then convert them into the much-needed parking places along with a revenue plan.
The Margao market has been in the same condition for decades now. The MMC had recently initiated the plan for an overhead tank for the fire hydrants. However, as the plan is still in the primary stage, it will need much follow-up by the new council to see the light of the day.
Additionally, Margao town has several heritage buildings and houses that have not been maintained for several years. The panel Fatorda Forward has made a promise to nurture these buildings, but none of the Margao panels have mentioned this heritage.
With citizens buckling up for change and the monitoring committees on the anvil, there is a strong possibility of the people’s expectations increasing and putting immense pressure on the new council.
United Goans Foundation (UGF) member Avinash Tavares said that the two key challenges for the new councilors will be to sort out the traffic and garbage problems. He has called for parking facilities to regulate traffic better, whereas with garbage management, he felt that the administrative section should have greater accountability for monitoring all activities. He also favoured a system of fixing dates for maintenance works in wards and that the ward councilor should be held responsible.
Advocate Rajeev Gomes, who has already petitioned the urban development ministry to amend the Goa Municipalities Act to hold ward sabhas, where the councilors can directly be held responsible for the ongoing work in their wards, favours a complete change in the face of the council and hopes that only new faces come in.
He stated, “I request all my friends to support new faces in the municipal polls. We have all witnessed the failure of the earlier councillors on all the broad issues plaguing Margao. Why do they deserve another chance? To take us for a ride? Please elect new faces; we can at least mould them to be better councillors through regular monitoring. Old ones are just too habituated to old ways to make a change. Please reject old faces and bring in freshness.”
He further backed his argument by presenting a detailed study of the MMC’s finances and pointed out that the outgoing council spent a whopping Rs 5.40 crore on development in Margao from 2010 to 2015. He questioned if the same development was visible and lamented the lack of transparency.
