The ensuing elections to the CCP has brought to fore some politicians of different hues and who do not reside in Panaji city jurisdiction, but seem to have come together as a conspiracy to capture power by sheer money power, with a common goal to amass more wealth at the cost of the helpless citizens of the Capital City.
Section 5 (14) of The City of the Panaji Corporation Act, 2002 defines only -“Councillor“ who is elected as a member of the Corporation under the Act, but the public are being repeatedly misled, as politicians repeatedly misinform the general public that they are electing Corporators, who legally do not enjoy any decisive powers as most of the executives powers, under the said Act are vested in the “Commissioner”.
It appears that political parties and individual politicians’ field candidates in various wards opposing each other based on some assurances to improve the life of the citizens, but in reality there is silent understanding in the form of a match- fixing in the larger political arena for pure personal gains. One can easily visualize the present set up in the Corporation which has the Mayor and the Deputy come together from two different groups but are jointly enjoying the spoils of power.
While these political self-appointed leaders have been constantly proclaiming that they field candidates in various wards for betterment of the good old Panjim, but sadly till date there is no solution for a permanent site for a garbage treatment plant, eliminating the sewage disposal in the St Inez Creek, resolving the new market scam and collecting the arrears of dues from the shopkeepers besides removing the illegal occupants (even after two commissions of enquiry reports), reducing the traffic congestion caused due to additional buildings having offices and shops and bars and restaurants and recovering the huge arrears of house tax and sign boards and commercial licence fees. The old play ground situated in the Church Square area in the heart of the city is a dump yard for the CCP, so easily an area inviting street beggars for open defecation and urination culminating into an eye sore for the tourists visiting the imposing Panjim Church.
As the election date approaches, the fever increases which leads to free distribution of goodies and free flow of alcohol for the youth, with a toothless State Election Commission being a mere spectator and mainly those with muscle and money power succeed in the election fray resulting into a silent decay of Panaji City.
So the citizens should be alert and correctly choose their Councilor with a new face who will have the genuine interest of reducing the stink the resident of Panaji city has to bear with at present.
