Team Herald
VASCO: A few days after cable-cutting in Panjim on his watch led to an internet blackout, Electricity Department Executive Engineer Kashinath Shetye was embroiled in a fresh controversy on Friday, as he got embroiled in a war of words with Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar over closing two traditional pathways in Bogda, which have been in use for over 50 years.
The heated altercation between the two, which unfolded in front of locals, saw Amonkar demand the reopening of the two closed pathways, while Shetye insisted on their closure. As the nodal officer for land acquisition and property management, Shetye had gone to Bogda to inspect the quarters belonging to the Electricity Department.
Amonkar accused Shetye of harassing local residents and acting more like an activist than a government official, and asked him to "act as an officer".
According to Amonkar, the question of the traditional pathway at Bogda has been pending resolution for a long time and he had raised the matter in the Assembly last year. Claiming that most of the 300 houses there date back to the Portuguese era, he said, “No officer has the right to call them illegal or behave rudely with the public. Officers who do not understand local issues and work against the government should be
terminated."
Amonkar refuted Shetye’s claims that an illegal bar operated in the
area, stating that the bar had held a valid license since 1985, well before the construction of the
Electricity Department quarters.
He pointed out that the department had previously kept four traditional pathways open, only to suddenly block them without warning.
Amonkar also challenged Shetye to file a police complaint, asserting that he would not let the pathways be closed. “The area has turned into a jungle with snakes and other reptiles. There is no proof that people come here to drink. I have personally requested the Electricity Department multiple times to clear the bushes, but they have done nothing. I had to get them cleared at my own expense," he said.
He denied that locals had obstructed the department’s efforts to take the electrical cables and claimed that the cables had been lying unused for over 15 years. He maintained that the true issue was the department’s attempt to block the two traditional pathways by erecting a compound wall.
Shetye, in response, defended his actions, explaining that he was authorised by the Electricity Department’s chief engineer to close the two pathways and wanted to remove the unused cables, but had faced resistance from locals. “This is government property and I have been told to close the two pathways. Why are you creating a problem and not letting me remove the cables? Who will pay the Rs 10,000 for the bulldozer hired to carry out the work?” he asked the MLA.
Electricity Department Chief Engineer Stephen Fernandes called for an amicable solution. Fernandes said that both Amonkar and Shetye were partially correct, and the sensitive issue required careful handling. “It is our property and the stand taken by Shetye is correct. But we need to check if people with homes in the area will have an alternate access route once the pathways are closed. Being an MLA, there is nothing wrong that he (Amonkar) went there. At the same time, Shetye was doing his duty. We need to find a balanced resolution.”