MARGAO: The abrupt transfers of three engineers at the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) have ignited discussions and speculations within the town. While Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar maintains that politics played no part in these transfers, reliable sources suggest a potential conflict of interest between the council and these officers as the underlying cause.
On Thursday, the Department of Urban Development issued transfer orders for Margao Municipal Engineers Manor Arsekar, Vishant Naik, and Veeraj Naik, all of whom were closely involved with the municipal body’s garbage management initiatives.
Recent days have witnessed tensions among civic officials, including the Chairperson, concerning the working patterns of the technical section. Councillors have raised concerns that a lack of commitment to their assigned responsibilities has resulted in losses for the civic body. These concerns led to confrontations during ordinary council meetings, with civic officials addressing issues related to the technical section and its engineers.
One of the transferred engineers downplayed the situation, labeling the transfers as routine and unrelated to any internal conflicts within the municipality. However, Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar acknowledged issues within the technical section and expressed his desire for engineers and staff to diligently fulfil their duties.
Shirodkar emphasised that the transfers were not politically motivated, stating that he had never personally requested the reassignment of engineers within the Margao Municipality.
He also noted that several staff members, including those within the technical section, receive substantial salaries but fail to prioritise their responsibilities to the civic body.
