MARGAO: The Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex wears a deserted look these days, as public has been staying away as due to the ensuing assembly elections.
On Friday, with the exception of the offices of the Returning Officers and the civil registrar’s office, all other offices had a deserted look.
The Civil Registrar’s office had public albeit a lot less than found on normal working days. People had come for various works like registration of marriage, deeds, agreements and some to collect their certificates.
“Can anyone stop a marriage?” quipped the Civil Registrar Chandrakant Pissurlekar who was busy going through a document produced for registration. Although the office had very few staff on duty, they did attend to the public.
The office of the Joint director of Accounts was functioning with most of the staff at their desks except for a few who had gone for election duty. However, the public does not have anything to do with this office which deals with mostly staff salaries and their various bills.
The Social Welfare department was deserted having only the Deputy Director along with a lone staff, a peon and a contract worker on duty. Even the Deputy Director was busy finishing his election duty work.
The Rural Development Agency office had only a skeletal staff on duty and practically no public or even panchayat members who normally hang around to get the work in their jurisdiction sanctioned of the bills passed.
The Deputy Director of Panchayat’s office had 50 percent attendance.
Most of the staff has been given Booth Level Officer’s duty and they are busy with that work due to which the regular work is affected, confessed an officer from one of the departments.
But what is noteworthy is that the public seems to be aware that there is no point in going to the South Goa District Administrative building as no work would be done and hence prefer to stay away.
