VASCO: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Saturday cleared the misconceptions of the Mormugao Municipal Council’s councillors who claimed that less people are turning out for Vasco Saptah due to absence of the giant wheel. 

Dr Sawant mentioned in a discussion with the councillors that people's safety was prime and not revenue generation for the MMC. The chief minister visited Damodar Temple in Port Town and took “darshan” of Lord Damodar. 

During an interaction with Vasco’s Industrialist Narayan (Nana) BandekarBandekar, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, MMC Chairperson Nandadeep Raut and others, the issue of scraping the giant wheel came up from Chairperson Raut’s side. 

Raut claimed that due to absence of the giant wheel there is a low turn out of people to Saptah this year and also revealed that Mormugao Municipal Council was losing revenue of around Rs 4 lakh.

Replying to Raut’s claims, the chief minister mentioned, "Safety of people is prime and MMC can generate revenue from other ways also.” 

He further said, “If there would have been any untoward incidence due to the giant wheel, then people would have blamed the government for the loss.”  

Bandekar also supported the chief minisiter’s stand saying the devotees come to Saptah to take “darshan” of Lord Damodar and not for the sake of the giant wheel. 

It may be recalled that recently many messages were circulated on social media garnering sympathetic views towards non-installation of the giant wheel in the children's park. The councillors had also crossed swords over the issue where few blaming the Directorate of Municipal Administration and the opposition councillors for opposing the same. Whereas some have expressed their opinion to shift the giant wheel to safer location in town.