CUNCOLIM: Cuncolim chieftains’ memorial constructed by the local municipal council is crying for attention.
The memorial was built to honour the sixteen chieftains who laid down their lives for swarajya and swadharma, in 1583.
To celebrate the Golden jubilee year of liberation from the Portuguese, the then Digambar Kamat-led government sanctioned funds to municipalities and panchayats to carry out developmental works and build special projects. The Cuncolim municipality was sanctioned Rs 2 crore under the scheme, out of which the civic body spent Rs 50 lakh on building a memorial for the chieftains.
Now, just few years after its inauguration, the memorial is in a sorry state: the fountains are damaged; the green lawn has dried up; the area around the memorial is full of weeds; and since the gate is kept open, the memorial has become a resting place for stray dogs and cattle. Above all, it has become a den for antisocial elements.
Locals complain that the municipality has wasted public money by building a memorial which the council has no intention to maintain.
When the poor condition of the memorial was brought to the notice of municipal officials, Chief Officer Shankar Gaonkar inspected the site and promised to put the things in order. However, he has not fulfilled his promise till date.
Commenting on the condition of the memorial, chieftains’ memorial committee member Oscar Martins said, “It’s very hurting that our own council doesn’t respect the heroes who had kept our identity live and fought for our pride. If council cannot respect our pride, then, we are ready to accept the challenge to maintain chieftains’ memorial.”
When asked why the council failed maintain the chieftains’ memorial, Chief Officer Gaonkar said that the Art and Culture department refused to grant permission to the municipality to utilise the golden jubilee funds for maintaining the memorial.
