Team Herald
MARGAO: At their first public appearance together, the 18 councillors of the Margao Civic Alliance backed by the Margao and Fatorda MLAs have announced their plan to hold the swearing-in ceremony at the historic Ram Manohar Lohia Maidan in Margao.
Both panels – Digambar Kamat’s Model Margao and Vijai Sardesai’s Fatorda Forward – held closed-door meetings, where Model Margao unanimously agreed to elect three-time councillor Dorris Texeira as their leader and vice-chairperson of the council, whereas FF unanimously elected first-time councillor Dr Babita Angle as their leader and chairperson.
Kamat exhorted the council to complete the pending works and to ensure a united and stable council. He rejected insinuations that his panel had to play second fiddle to Sardesai on account of less seats won and said that this was an alliance that had been formed before the elections. He also thanked the people for electing the candidates from the alliance.
Kamat criticized the government and the past council for failing to undertake planned development projects and added that they had written to the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) to allow them to hold the swearing ceremony at Lohia Maidan.
Sardesai said that the remaining councillors had been asked to participate as this was a people’s council and they should work together. It maybe recalled that Sardesai’s Fatorda Forward had released its manifesto at the same ground during its election campaign.
When asked how long the chairperson will remain in power in view of the Alliance’s criticism of the musical chairs by the past council, Kamat said the arrangement would last until the 2017 Assembly elections.
Sardesai said that issues of garbage management and recovery of arrears were among the key issues that will be taken up by the council and that the council will work with the employees who went on strike recently. He also criticised the BJP for indulging in horse-trading in the councils where they don’t have a majority and dared the party to announce that they would try to break the 18-member Margao Alliance.
