Show no interest in training program at Panjim, but prefer travelling to Bandra, Mumbai
TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: Close on the heels of Zilla Panchayat members’ trip to Port Blair, a 14-member team of Margao Municipal Councilors led by Chairperson Arthur D’Silva and deputy Pratima Coutinho are heading for Bandra-Mumbai on Sunday to attend a two-day program on slum poverty/livelihood survey.
But the Margao city fathers have shown no interest in a similar three-day specialized training program on city sanitation plan and its implementation right here in Goa at Panjim, beginning from February 27.
Around 14 city fathers, including the chairperson and vice-chairperson have confirmed their participation in the Bandra training program. This effectively implies that the civic body would be left without the services of both the chairperson and vice-chairperson for three days ~ from Monday to Wednesday ~ since the duo would be attending the training program in Mumbai.
Sources said the TA/DA and rail travel expenses of the 14-member delegation would cost the civic body around Rs 90,000. Incidentally, a group of Margao councilors had recently attended a similar program on disaster management in Daman, which had cost the civic body over Rs one lakh.
No doubt, the study tours undertaken by the city fathers in outstation training programs conforms to government guidelines, but questions are raised in the corridors of the civic body over the absence of participation of councilors in the three-day training program scheduled at Panjim. “The special training program on sanitation at Panjim is organized for the benefit of municipal elected and nominated members, besides officials and engineers. Besides, there’s a special training program to deliberate on the recommendations of the 13th Central Finance Commission, administrative reforms, etc., for the benefit of mayors, deputy mayors, presidents, chairperson of different civic bodies, chief officer and other Municipal officers,” informed an official.
Leave apart the city fathers it is not known whether any of the Margao Municipal officials are attending the three-day training program at Panjim.
