The men who are supposed to look after the well being of the city of Margao and the lives of its citizens, are in a state of such extreme frustration. The people of Margao are asking them questions and forcing them to be accountable. And how has the MMC reacted? The workers egged on by their utterly inefficient Chairperson, have resorted to a strike demanding the arrests of three citizens who allegedly prevented an officer from doing his duty.
As a responsible newspaper, we will indeed analyse whether the action of some of the citizens crossed the line and bordered on the unruly. But before we do that, let us ask what duty is the MMC Chairperson or the sanitary inspector or any of the workers referring to? Its primary duty is to keep the city clean, which it hasn’t for years. Picking up segregated garbage and taking it to the Sonsoddo dump is its duty. It hasn’t done it. Picking up bio medical waste separately and not sending to the Sonsoddo dump along with all other waste is its duty. It hasn’t done it. So a sanitary inspector of a town has to ensure that the town is clean, which obviously it isn’t, before giving sermons on he being attacked or obstructed in his line of duty.
The Chairperson, is a man who is in the middle of a room flaying his hands wildly hoping to get at any of the irritants that are buzzing around him. Herald happens to be an important irritant and he said so to the Herald reporter publicly in front of other councilors and other media colleagues. He accused your paper of being against the council. Now what should we say to the MMC chairperson? We say, “Yes we accept your charge that Herald is against the council.” Any institution which insults the people it is expected to serve and deliberately fails in its duty to deliver on the basic facilities any citizen should get, in lieu of the municipal taxes he pays, will get similar treatment from Herald. Does Arthur D’Silva think, it bothers your Herald, if his Royal Majesty refrains from giving a certificate of good conduct to it? Let His Highness think again and keep thinking till he achieves pristine clarity that Herald will be with him only when he is with the people of Margao. Currently, he seems to be incapable of such a lofty climb from the depths to which he has fallen.
But King Arthur and his round table of Councillors and sanitary inspectors still continue to think they rule and not serve. It is agreed that the situation at the council this week turned ugly when angry and arguably unruly residents gathered there expecting the MMC to take the agenda points of the Margao Declaration, announced during the Herald-HCN Battle for Margao debate, forward. The situation turned worse when the sanitary inspector was leaving after the meeting and was blocked by some members of civil society. They in turn have made a serious charge of the Sanitary Inspector touching a female ex-councillor in an inappropriate manner on the upper part of her body, as he was trying to leave. Counter complaints have been filed by both sides.
The MMC and civil society should now let the police do its job. Where is the need or the question of demanding the arrest of three common residents when they are going no-where and are available for questioning? At the same time the charge against the Sanitary Inspector cannot be dropped unless there is proper investigation. However, this is what is happening. Seizing the opportunity, to throw the impending discussions and action to be taken on the garbage issue, (which Arthur D’Silva does not want to solve at any cost), he is conducting this strike to give it back to the people of Margao who are forcing him and his council to work. And the sense of real work as opposed to the disruption of services to the common man, is a rare and uncomfortable feeling for the MMC rulers.
This strike has to be called off by force and even the Chairperson should be charged under ESMA for abetting the strike instead of doing his duty of giving municipal services to all residents, most of whom are not involved in this fracas.
However, civil society too needs to be cautioned. No agitation should take a turn where it is going out of control, or not managed. If it holds back and quietly and firmly makes the MMC stick to its dictated path of doing door-to-door segregated collection and ensuring that the Sonsoddo plant works to its capacity, it will achieve its purpose. If the MMC fails a new MMC consisting of peoples’ councillors should be voted to power in October. Till then they should keep the pressure on but not allow the MMC to counter accuse them for being unlawful. The MMC loses nothing cause it has lost everything. The people of Margao though have a lot to do and will lose a lot if we let go of self control.
