Team Herald
VASCO: Mormugao councillor and Vice- Chairperson (VCP) of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) crossed swords over a flooding issue.
Councillor Krishna (Daji) Salkar said, “After reading the news report , it was shocking that MMC VCP is saying MMC has desilted the drain, when it is a false and misleading statement and has been made just to take limelight for works done by me”.
Salkar further said VCP Reema Sonurlekar should stop playing dirty politics at least during this pandemic.
He explained that due to the constant flooding all these years near Hotel HQ and 1930 Vasco, he had tried all measures to see if the flooding could be avoided but could not succeed. “I had proposed this work be done in the 14th Finance commission but it was kept pending due to internal politics. I approached MMC Chairperson Nandadeep Raut with a request to take up the work but was told that due to paucity of MMC funds, it could not be taken up ,” he said.
Salkar added he then he approached the Chief Officer (CO) and said he would take up this major work under his own capacity through his own funds so that the general public is not put through inconvenience only with a request that they should help him with the NOCs. “The CO then obliged and wrote a letter to the Collector requesting to issue an NOC for Road cutting. After constant follow up, the Collector gave NOC for road digging, although the work was delayed due to shortage of labour as most of them had left Goa due to COVID-19 and others who were locked in the Mangor containment zone,” he added.
“Further constant rain pouring in Vasco led to stalling of work, after which, I approached my friends and contractor and pleaded with them to start the work. Finally the work is almost complete by paying almost double the wages to the labourers” he added.
Refuting Salkar’s allegations, VCP Sonurlekar, asked whether the three-time councillor (Salkar) is aware of the powers of a VCP. She added that as a responsible VCP, she tends to oversee the works which are in progress in the municipal area.
She further added she checked with the MMC engineer and CO about the cross drain work, which was ongoing near HQ hotel.
“I found a letter given to the municipality by Salkar on May 7. MMC then forwarded this letter to highway authorities, which gave permission to the MMC to conduct a cross drain work. Further NOC from the Collector was also obtained for road cutting from June 26 to July 5. “Then why didn’t the work get completed in June or in the given time?” she quipped.
Sonurlekar also questioned why the three- times councillor did not resolve the flooding issue near HQ hotel area for so many years. “Salkar should think twice before making any allegations on others” she added.
