MMC suffers memory loss

MMC suffers memory loss
Forgets to pursue graft cases against councillors
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JULY 19
The Margao Municipal Council seems to have forgotten the resolution adopted by the Council to file a writ petition in the High Court seeking directions to former Chief Officer Prasanna Acharya to disclose the names of Councilors involved in corruption.
It’s more two months since the City Fathers resolved to file a petition to direct Acharya to disclosed the names of Councilors, who were allegedly extorting money from builders after raising issues of illegalities in the Civic body.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho said the file pertaining to the resolution was forwarded to the Municipal lawyer for an opinion. Coutinho, however, could not state when the file was forwarded to the lawyer and the name of the lawyer, who has taken so long time to give the opinion.
Incidentally, though the City Fathers went all out at the special meeting to take the matter to the court seeking directions to the former chief officer to disclose the names of councilors involved in corruption, nothing has been heard from the elected representatives in the corridors of the civic body in recent times.
Former chief officer Prasanna Acharya had stirred a hornet’s nest before he was shunted out of the civic body when he put up a note to the chairperson stating that some of the councilors raise issues of illegal construction activity and then strike deals with the builders for a consideration.
The issue had snowballed into a major controversy and the special meeting of the council had unanimously resolved to knock the doors of the High Court to take the former chief officer to task.
Sadly, it is not known whether the civic body has indeed forwarded the file to the municipal lawyer for opinion or the file is gathering dust in the municipal building for reasons best known to the ruling councilors.