Goa is getting ready for the Assembly elections. But Goa’s Commercial Capital is plagued problems with different MLAs serving Margao for past two decades. The present MLA of Margao, Digambar Kamat has been elected by the town 5 times in a row after 1994 elections. He has also become the Chief Minister after quitting BJP and joining Congress. However, very few solutions have been found for the perennial problems of Margao like the Kabrastan, KTC Bus stand, Garbage management, Illegal houses, improvement of Gandhi Market to name a few.
Despite Digambar serving Margao for such a long time, sadly the Commercial Capital has just remained as an spectator while other towns and cities have taken huge steps to improve the infrastructure.
Kabrastan issue
Muslims of Salcete have been deprived of a proper burial place, a Kabrastan for over two decades. The previous Congress Government before elections had passed and the present BJP Government had after election promised to develop the land for Kabrastan. But sadly there has been no end to the impasse in the burial ground. The existing Kabrastan is overflowing, and the issues of the land at Sonsoddo have developed more problems than solutions.
“The Margao MLA, who could have done so much for the Kabrastan, has miserably failed to do any good for the Community. Digambar Kamat is the worst ever CM of Goa as far as the minorities are concerned. Muslims of Margao have been used by him and neglected,” said Matin Carol from Margao
Gandhi /New Market
The New Market Association has been requesting the local body to address the issue of parking in and around the new market. The buildings in the area have a reserved parking for the occupants of shops/flats of their respective buildings. As such the people who come to these buildings for the purpose of their work use the parking facilities meant for the traders leaving the place congested.
The vendors had demanded that the municipality issue an order preventing reservation of parking in and around the new market area. However, the MLA who controls a part of the Gandhi & New Market area hasn’t been proactive to solve the issue faced by these markets, as a result of which the people have started pushing towards neo markets of Fatorda, Aquem and Borda. Manisha Kerkar, a housewife, said, “I have stopped going to the Margao markets for over 2 years now. These markets have no parking, nor a footpath to walk on. Don’t wish to waste my time there.”
Overheard tank issue
The MMC has been sitting over another important demand of installing a water tank in order to combat unfortunate incidents of tire breakout. Presently there are no means available in the new market to combat fire incidents which threaten both the lives of the traders as well as their means of livelihood. Recently there was an accident which led to fire breakout in the new market causing a lot of damage to the shops and goods of the traders.
The Chief Officer of MMC, Yashwant Tawde, said “The work is still in the preliminary stage of design. Work done by the last agency was rejected as it did not match the available land and conditions.”
Outsourcing garbage collection
The biggest, the most discussed and the most covered is the issue of garbage collection, segregation and disposal which still hangs in balance. The MMC had earlier proposed for outsourcing the garbage collection and had promised to tender the same before the end of 2016. The work did get tendered on E-Tender platform 10 days back but will take lots of time now to get passed. The frustrating part is that even after having the Margao MLA as the member of the High Power Sub Committee and with him as CM from 2007 to 2012, all that has happened is distribution of colour coded dustbins and collection of waste, efficient in some areas and weak in many.
The MMC had prepared a proposal and sent it for the technical clearance at the Public Works Department Principal Chief Engineers office earlier in 2016. But no breakthrough has happened in the same.
The Landfill Site for Sonsoddo which was inaugurated months ago still waits to be utilised 100%. The High Power Sub Committee Meetings were being held at the Margao Municipal Council every alternate week which the Margao MLA too attended. Sadly neither a solution has been found nor any work being started at Sonsoddo.
The Margao MLA has, meanwhile, blamed the present government for failing to take up most of the developmental works not just in Margao but in the entire State. He said “This Government has kept everything pending. Look at the work of the District Hospital now. As far as following up is concerned I have raised the issue in every assembly session and also brought it to the attention of the PWD Minister.”
Traffic and parking problem
The parking project of Margao looks to have gone into coma now. The Margao MLA, who himself lives in the heart of the city, is also a witness to the problem of traffic. To add up to the mess, several buildings in the Margao town have converted their mandatory ground floor parking areas into commercial shops.
The former chairperson of MMC Arthur D’silva who had laid the corner stone for the Multi-storey parking project said, “This project was initiated by me in 2015 and now it is being stopped for some political satisfaction.”
Tawade said the work was tendered but since there was only one bid it has been slated for re-tender now.
All have disrespected the building rules. Mahesh Damodar Nayak said, “The traffic problem of Margao has reached to such an extent that a pedestrian reaches his destination earlier than the vehicles.
Illegal kiosks
The problem of illegal carts in the town is not a new issue. According to reliable statistics today Margao town has nearly 300 gaddas, carts and kiosks of which only 170 are legal and the rest are operating without any permission and also not paying any tax to the Civic body.
KTS Bus Stand
The incomplete work of the Kadamba Bus Stand is also an issue which neither the Margao, nor the Fatorda MLA has been able to solve. During his Chief Ministerial stint Digambar had made an ambitious plan for the KTC bus stand which was later an election promise but never fulfilled.
