Team Herald
MARGAO: Cuncolim MLA Clafasio Dias dismissed the charges made by Cuncolim Municipal Council Vice Chairperson Shashank Desai as false and further stated that they were made under pressure to get the criminal case booked against him withdrawn.
Briefing media persons after returning from Vallankani, Clafasio pointed out that Shashank was recently released on bail following a case registered against him for attacking his neighbour with a knife. “His statements against me are only to get that case withdrawn as that is what he has been promised to,” he said.
He pointed out that it was Shashank who approached him to change the Cuncolim Municipal Council as there was no work being done in Cuncolim municipal area since the council was formed. “It is only about two months since the new council was formed and these being the monsoon months not much work could be done,” he said.
However, he revealed that he has got a lot of work not only sanctioned but even tendered and assured that work will start as soon as the Ganesh festival is over. “Works worth nearly Rs 12 crore have been tendered,” he said and pointed out that a culvert has been constructed in Shashank’s ward where a retaining wall is also going to be re-constructed soon.
He dismissed Shashank’s charge of pressuring the council to release his security deposit arguing that he would receive that money as it is due to him. “I had written a letter to the Cuncolim Municipal Council in 2016 when I was not even an MLA and now I have sent them a letter through my advocate,” he said adding that he will receive that money with interest as it is over four years now since the time the money was to be paid to him.
He termed all these to be gimmicks of Yuri Alemao who is desperately trying to make some place for him in Cuncolim after his father was rejected by the electorate from there twice. Clafasio said the delegation taken by Yuri to TCP Minister Vijai Sardessai over the power situation was also a farce.
“I have already got the tender for Rs 7.56 crore to attend to the transmission problems in Cuncolim sanctioned and it is to be tendered shortly and knowing this Yuri simply took that delegation to grab credit for work that I have done,” he said.
Lamenting that Joaquim Alemao spent crores of rupees on constructing a hall without an air conditioner and fish market with no toilets, he said he has got a tender sanctioned for Rs 2.88 crore worth of works in Cuncolim Industrial Estate besides another tender of Rs 10 crore for underground cabling in the industrial estate.
Cuncolim Municipal Council Chairperson Lavita Mascarenhas who was also present expressed surprise over her vice-chairperson’s behaviour. “He has not discussed the matter with us and in fact is avoiding us at present,” she said adding that even they would like to know what has gone wrong.
