TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: The meeting of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) held Thursday ended abruptly amidst recriminations and allegations between the mayor Vaidehi Naik and opposition corporators, with the mayor stating that she confirming the minutes and other agenda. She also said that at the meeting the council confirmed the resolutions taken last time and denied that any resolution was taken last time on exhibitions or film shootings.
Heated discussions started between some members of the opposition and the Mayor over subletting of a certain commercial property of the Corporation of the City of Panaji , whose sub lessee had gone to court. The heated discussions slowly drew in other corporators, both from the ruling and the opposition and saw the mayor ~ in the last month of her one year term ~ announce that she was confirming the minutes and other agenda, amidst full throated protests from opposition and approval from the ruling side.
Speaking to the media after the end of meeting, mayor Naik said that she had confirmed all the points on Thursday’s agenda and blamed the opposition corporators for being disruptive.
She claimed that films and exhibitions were cleared in the Corporation of the City of Panaji limits. However, there was no voting seen to have happened or any discussion done. The Mayor claims that this was as per earlier resolution and not the one in the previous meeting.
She blamed for the ruckus before she was escorted away by some of her entourage who asked her to cut short her interaction with the media.
However, the resolution on banning films and exhibitions figures in the minutes of the meeting.
The opposition corporator reacting to this statement of the mayor on exhibitions and film shootings, read out the resolution in the minutes of the meeting. Corporator Rudresh Chodankar, speaking to the media later criticised the abrupt closure of the meeting, calling her attitude dictatorial.
“Dictatorship is going on,” he said and alleged that she had closed the meeting abruptly because she did not want to discuss the thorny market issue.
Kabir Makhija Pinto said on that the mayor had not done anything for the city in the last 11 months and accused her of not doing any development in any of their 14 wards.
Edward George criticized the abrupt closure of the meeting terming it illegal, while senior corporator Surendra Furtado criticised the way the meeting agenda was confirmed. “I do not agree with the decision of the mayor on confirming the minutes and going through the agenda,” he said. When pressed whether he was still with the Naik group, he refused to comment saying that in case there is a vote then his stand will be known.
