The two MMCs – Margao Municipal Council and Mormugao Municipal Council – that lost out to the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) in the race to be Goa’s first smart city have taken the loss quite badly. The chairperson of one council and the councillors of the other, both in South Goa, have flayed the government and the party in government for not pushing forward their towns’ proposal before the central government for the coveted position of being Goa’s smart city, that would bring them town Rs 500 crore over five years for various infrastructure projects.
The chairperson of the Margao municipality, Arthur D’Silva, went so far as to accuse the government of ‘betraying’ the town and recalled all the past promises made by the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party to the town and its residents that have remained unfulfilled. The Margao chairperson felt that since the town is represented by Opposition MLAs the government didn’t take much interest in the town’s bid and he even blamed South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar for not pushing Margao’s bid for the smart city status, which drew a terse response from the South Goa MP.
In the case of Mormugao, while the chairperson, Lavina D’Souza was more restrained in her comments, the matter was brought up and discussed in the council meeting and the local MLA was accused of letting down the town. Like Sawaikar, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida too defended himself and termed the reactions of the councilors to frustration.
If any politics is being played it could actually be now by the losing councils. With municipal elections slated for next month, the two councils and their councillors perhaps feel that deflecting the blame onto the ruling coalition would be a great manner in which to win a few brownie points with the town electorates. But, this should not have been reduced to politicking. Panjim, being the only urban area in the State that has got city status, definitely had an edge over the other two towns in the race for the smart city programme. Panjim is also the State capital and that is a fact that the Centre would perhaps take into consideration when selecting the cities for scheme.
Now that they have missed the financial grant, the wounded councils and their councillors, instead of pointing fingers at those they consider let them down, would do well to channelize their efforts and energies in easing the lives of the residents of the two towns. There is much that can be done even without the financial grant from the centre. Finding a solution to Margao’s festering garbage problem should be the priority of that council and councillors, rather than missing the smart city bus. In the case of Vasco, streamlining the traffic and reducing the pollution should be what the council should focus on.
In contrast to the angst that has been caused in the two MMCs over the loss of the status and the funds, there hasn’t been much of a show of joy or happiness by the CCP that is going to benefit from its selection for the smart city programme. The city gave it a subdued welcome, almost as if it was unconcerned with the scheme and what it can bring it. The CCP stands to gain quite a bit – Rs 200 crore – once its action plan has been approved, but not before that. The plan has to be ready within 90 days and instead of getting on with it, the local authorities are still debating whether to select a consultant from the firms empanelled by the centre for the purpose or whether to invite a global tender.
The politics is not about betrayal, the politics is about wanting a piece of the pie. Given the example of the ongoing JICA investigation where the consultant paid kickbacks to get the job, it will definitely not be advisable to opt for a global tender, not when there is shortlist to pick from and when time is running short. Panjim has to act fast and its actions should not give reason for the people at some point of time in the future to feel betrayed.
