CM spells out goodies for Margao council

CM spells out goodies for Margao council
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, DEC 2
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat turned Santa Claus on Thursday announcing goodies for the Margao Municipal Council aimed not just at ushering administrative reforms and bringing the civic employees under CCTV scanner, but help strengthen garbage collection mechanism in the commercial capital.
If Kamat is to be believed, the civic body would lay thrust on making the city clean and streamline the administration through reforms. He exuded confidence that the measures would show results by January 2011.
After an hour-long interaction with the City Fathers during his first visit to the Margao civic body accompanied by the Urban Development Secretary and DMA Daulat Havaldar on Thursday noon, Kamat told newsmen that he has issued directions to the Chief Officer to dispose off applications for single dwelling units, house and compound wall repairs, renewal of licenses, besides NOCs for water and light connections within seven days. “I see no reason why applications for these things cannot be cleared within seven days if the applications are complete in all respects”, he added.
That’s not all. The Chief Minister said he has told the Director of Municipal Administration to review the powers of the Municipal Engineers by enhancing the powers of the MEs to sanction estimates from Rs six lakh to Rs 15 lakh. “By reviewing this power, the government intends to bring the Municipal engineer on par with the PWD Executive Engineer vis-à-vis sanction of estimates”, he said.
He said that all correspondence received by the civic body would now reach the dealing hands on the same day as against the period of 5-6 days.
Saying that he has told the MMC Chairperson Sushila Naik to consult government printing press Director N D Agrawal on the implementation of CCTVs in the civic body, Kamat said the civic body has plans too to revive the bio-metric finger scan reader lying idle in the civic body for more than three years. “Plans are afoot to introduce the concept in government departments as well”, he asserted.
On the garbage front, the Chief Minister said four garbage compactors and two tipper trucks will be procured by the civic body at cost of Rs one crore. Besides, he said 40 contract workers will be engaged by the civic body exclusively for garbage collection and cleared the proposal to procure 1000-odd garbage bins for the city. “I have also told the MMC CO to study the requests for grass cutting and fogging machines”, he added.
He further said the civic body would outsource two rickshaws for garbage collection in Margao and Fatorda. “These rickshaws will be stationed in areas where garbage generation is more like the Sadekar lane”, he said.
Moreover, garbage supervisors will now get a cell phone from the civic body, while new dustbins will be numbered ward-wise for quick disposal of waste.