MMC survey comes a cropper on the ground

TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

MARGAO: Months after a survey of the New Market and the Gandhi Market in the commercial town revealed rampant illegalities, the municipal administration either taken any firm measures or initiated appropriate action.  

The avowed objective behind this survey of the Margao Municipal Council was to unearth the nature and extent of encroachments and illegal extension and initiate action.

Initiated during the tenure of former Chairperson Arthur D’Silva, the exercise was launched with much fanfare, with civic officials even video filming the entire exercise to ensure transparency.

But months after the survey was compiled and handed over to the Municipal administration by the technical section, the fate of the exercise remains unknown. Doubts are raised in the corridors of the civic body whether the survey has been put in deep cold storage after the findings revealed rampant illegalities

Herald inquiries with the MMC technical section revealed that the survey report was submitted to the Chief Officer for further action. Chairperson of the MMC’s market panel, Pratima Coutinho, feigned ignorance about the market survey, but promised to find out the exact status of the survey report. Eyebrows are being raised whether the survey is being confined to the dusty records of the municipality to save vested interests from being exposed by the survey.

When Herald contacted Chief Officer Deepali Naik to throw light on the market survey, she confirmed having received the report from the technical section. 

The Chief Officer, however, defended the delay in initiating action against the erring traders for extending the plinth area of the stalls on grounds of manpower shortage. “My office had told the market inspectors and other officials to issue show cause notice to the traders”, she said, but admitted that no action has been initiated against the traders till date.

Incidentally, when asked whether the civic body has set any time frame to initiate action based on the survey findings, Deepali said the civic body lacks sufficient manpower for the moment, while also pointing out the shortcomings in the civic administration.