MARGAO: Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai challenged the government and district administration to say that the ongoing delimitation of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) was not “planned” and “plotted” to ensure that corrupt and inefficient councillors are elected.
He alleged that the present modus operandi of delimitation was faulty and that wards were carved out to suit certain BJP workers and other inefficient and corrupt incumbent councillors, who were already professing to be the next councillors of the MMC
Sardesai demanded that the entire process, which was carried out at the behest of rejected Assembly candidates, be scrapped and a new draft delimitation plan be declared and kept open for public suggestions and objections.
Reacting to the charges, Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza said no one outside the mandated authority had access to the files, including him, and that Sardessai’s allegations were baseless.
He further questioned on what basis Sardessai was making his allegations and how the Fatorda MLA got access to the data about the delimitation, which will see Margao expand from 20 municipal wards to 25.
Sardessai called upon the Director of Municipal Administration Elvis Gomes to immediately intervene in the matter without bowing to political pressure as he would be the one standing in the High Court if he failed to do his duty.
“Delimitation should have been done for balancing the number of voters in each ward. However, wide fluctuations in the number of voters per ward – ranging from 3,300 to 2,100 – are noticed. Generally, an allowance of 10 percent plus or minus is permitted, but the variations seen are beyond any logical explanation. In no way can such delimitation be accepted,” said Sardessai.
He added, “Margao citizens are today committed to clean their municipality of political garbage, whereas the BJP government is doing all it can to prevent this and to undermine the sincere efforts of the citizens.”
