SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
MARGAO, APRIL 7
The Margao City Fathers have renewed their demand for the introduction of Common Cadre for the municipal employees in the state.
A delegation of MMC Councilors led by Chairperson Savio Coutinho called on the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and impressed upon the need to introduce common cadre for municipal staff at the earliest.
The delegation pointed out to the Chief Minister that the civic administration cannot function in the absence of common cadre. “The Civic body cannot function in the absence of common cadre. We have requested the Chief Minister to look into the matter and get the common cadre at the earliest”, Coutinho said.
The MMC Chairperson said that an impression was initially created that the civic administration will be hit if there is a common cadre. “But, we have realized that the people have been suffering in the absence of common cadre. We have demanded with the Chief Minister that this demand be settled on a priority basis”, Coutinho said.
He recalled that a delegation had in the past called on the Urban Development Minister, Joaquim Alemao, who reportedly said that common cadre for municipal employees have received approval from the government, but implementation of the same is delayed because of allocation of finance.
Replying to a question, he said the Chief Minister has assured to look into the matter why and where the matter is held up and promised early action.
The renewed demand by the Margao Municipal Councillors only indicates that all is not well in the relationship with the civic employees. In fact, the ruling body and the majority union in the civic body do not see eye to eye over various issues in recent times, the recent instance being the decision to draft a UDC for field work in the markets, which has been vehemently opposed by the office bearers of the Union.
Strong opposition to the implementation of the bio-metric reader by the employees have also not gone well with the City Fathers.
Incidentally, though many a Municipal Council in the state had been demanding common cadre for the municipal employees, successive governments have been literally dragging their feet over its implementation.
It was during the tenure of Digambar Kamat as Urban Development Minister in the Parrikar-regime that common cadre was mooted to discipline the civic employees. Much water has flowed down the River Zuari since the last 10 years, but the common cadre remained a distant dream till date.
The common cadre proposal, however, has evoked strong opposition from the Goa Municipal Employees Association, which has even threatened to knock the doors of the judiciary and strike work if required to oppose common cadre.
