PORVORIM: Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate on Thursday assured members in the Legislative Assembly that he will take immediate steps to resolve the ‘paralysis’ in the functioning of the office of the Administrator of Comunidades of the South Goa zone, Margao, due to the alleged absenteeism of the incumbent Administrator.
Replying to a calling attention motion jointly tabled by MLAs Venzy Viegas, Vijai Sardesai, and Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Monserrate said, “I will instruct my Collector South to immediately visit the office of the Administrator of Comunidades and take immediate steps to resolve the issue. If need be, we will ensure that the officer is immediately replaced.”
The Minister said that the present Administrator was holding additional charge and assured Members that henceforth, the government will post a full-time Administrator of Comunidades.
Intervening during the discussion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured Sardesai that the government will hold an inquiry into the complaints against the Administrator of Comunidades, South Goa, alleging that he was coming to the office in an inebriated state. “If found true, he will be placed under suspension,” said Sawant.
The MLAs said that there was fear and anxiety in the minds of the members of South Goa Comunidade, due to the paralysis in the functioning of the office of the Administrator of Comunidades of the South Zone, due to alleged habitual absenteeism of the incumbent Administrator, leading to a lack of supervision of staff, delays in office procedures, and neglect in the disposal of files relating to illegal constructions, thus causing demolition orders to be inordinately delayed. In particular, a demolition order was not forwarded to the squad for the demolition of an illegal structure at Mungul, under Comunidade of Margao, they pointed out.
