TEAM HERALD
VASCO: Pandemonium prevailed at the Mormugao Municipal Council meet on Wednesday morning when about 20 residents of Ward 10 barged into the council hall and accused ward councillor Suchita Shirodkar of objecting to development work of the Baina Municipal garden.
There was utter chaos in the hall as agitated residents claimed that the council had failed to take up development works in the port town and had even objected to other business houses from undertaking developmental works in the port town.
The agitators accused Shirodkar of stalling the development of the Baina municipal garden by a private party and said the same was in a dilapidated condition for the last several years.
Accepting the crowd’s sentiments, all other council members, except for the ward councilor, passed a resolution to allow the private party to renovate beautify and maintain the garden.
Claiming that MMC Chairperson Sunita Usgaonkar had been unable to handle the situation, Councillors Tara Kerkar and Lavina D’ Souza asked Usgaonkar to resign from per post.
“The council has been humiliated twice under Usgaonkar’s tenure. Earlier, the fish vendors had created a ruckus in the council over the construction of a new fish market and on Wednesday residents of Ward 10 created a pandemonium in the council,” said Kerkar.
Councillor Nancy D’Souza also argued that the council was unable to undertake any development work and was also not allowing others to do development in the port town.
When contacted, GTDC Director Jayant Jadav said residents of Baina had forwarded a proposal to Industrialist Vijay Chowgule to renovate and maintain the Baina garden.
“Chowgule had agreed to comply with the request and accordingly had submitted a memorandum to the council to renovate and maintain the garden. Jadav further added that after submitting the memorandum, some councillors tried to play politics over the issue.” “Ward councillor Suchita Shirodkar objected to the proposal as she wanted to take up the project under the MPLAD fund. If the garden is to be renovated through MPLAD funds, who will maintain it?” asked Jadav. “The MMC has failed to maintain other projects that were
undertaken by private parties.”
Maxi Pereira, a resident from Ward 10, insisted that when a private party is ready to renovate and maintain the garden, the council could use the MPLAD fund for other developmental works.
