TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Margao’s city fathers are at it again. Though the Margao Municipal Council has a history of cold shouldering training programmes on solid waste management held in the state, the councillors are bracing up to fly to Hyderabad on a junket on Tuesday under the guise of a study tour at the cost of the civic body.
Director of Municipal Administration, Elvis Gomes on Sunday confirmed that his office has received a study tour file from the Margao civic body to fly to Hyderabad for a solid waste management. “Yes, the MMC has sent a proposal for approval to fly to Hyderabad to attend a solid waste management programme”, Gomes confirmed on Sunday.
While the proposed junket is believed to have received a nod from the Urban Development Minister, Francis D’Souza following lobbying by a councillor enjoying close rapport with the minister, the file is yet to receive final approval from the DMA’s office and may receive the nod on Monday.
Incidentally, Gomes made it abundantly clear that the study tour proposal originated from the Margao Civic body and his office has no role to play in the matter. “My office did not send any circular mandating any civic body to go on a tour. The proposal came from the Margao civic body”, Gomes asserted.
Civic officials in the know said the junket may cost the civic body dearly. Being a Sunday, officials could not dish out the exact information, but rough estimates have pegged the expenses over a lakh of rupees.
When Herald contacted MMC Chairperson Gonzaco Rebello to shed light on the junket to Hyderabad, he confirmed that around 11 councillors and an engineer have confirmed participation in the study tour and training programme on solid waste management. Rebello confirmed that the training programme is only on solid waste management, but he had no answer when his attention was drawn to the poor response of the Margao civic body to programmes on solid waste management programs held in Goa.
Meanwhile, councillor Pratima Coutinho has questioned the MMC councillors wisdom to go on a junket to Hyderabad when hardly any councillors make it for similar programs held in Goa.
Going on a junket under the guise of studying solid waste management is not something new in the Margao Civic body over the years. The Councillors had in the past travelled to Jaipur, Surat, Kalyan, Mumbai at official cost to study solid waste management.
