Team Herald
MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) passed a resolution to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an NGO ‘Gomantak Gosevak Mahasang’ to impound stray cattle, but only after seeking legal advice and reviewing the terms and conditions.
The council also passed a resolution to enter a clause with the MoU for futsal grounds in MMC’s jurisdiction, which would allow the transfer of land in case there are any property-related issues for setting up the futsal grounds.
Earlier, MMC Chief Officer (CO) Manuel Barreto explained that the agency they want to sign the MoU with, has land, veterinarians, and qualifies to receive funds under the Animal Husbandry scheme for impounding stray cattle. The CO pointed out that under the government scheme, MMC is not spending any money but is just a facilitator.
However, the discussion about the stray cattle issue led to a heated debate between Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar and former Chairperson Lyndon Pereira about the handling of the stray dog population. When Pereira asked the MMC to clear the bills of the agency handling stray dogs in the town, he received a dressing down from Chairperson Shirodkar.
The two of them exchanged barbs as Shirodkar accused Pereira of being responsible for the pending bills. Veteran councillor Sadanand Naik asked the CO to investigate why the MMC team could not perform their duties despite having its own team to tackle the stray dog issue, and questioned the status of the vehicle MMC had given the NGO and pointed out that it is gathering dust at the Margao rickshaw stand.