My priority: Clear flooding points and clean drains

HERALD: After taking on as the mayor, what are your main priorities?

CHOPDEKAR: My main priorities for now will be clearing the flooding points and water drains in the city before the monsoon. Development of Panjim will be stressed. Babush (Atanasio Monserrate) has supported us always. I will take guidance of former mayor Surendra Furtado and former Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkalienkar. Another priority will be to deal with the garbage and implement the pay parking. Further I will pay attention to  the pending files. I admit that I have no experience in running the administration of the CCP, but I will gain it in due course after assuming the duties of mayor.

HERALD: What are CCP’s pending issues that you would like to tackle?

CHOPDEKAR: There are many works which are pending in most of the wards due to the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Secondly, Panjim Market area will be given a facelift with revamping of the fish market and surrounding areas with proper platforms, tiling, anti flooding and hygienic maintenance. Also the slaughtering and fish cutting area will be hygienic. Workers involved will be given aprons and a complaint box will be fixed in the market. 

HERALD: How will you deal with illegal shops’ allotment?

CHOPDEKAR: In this regard everything will be done step by step with proper consultation. Some of the people from the market are not ready to sign an agreement. I will speak to the CCP commissioner and appropriate steps will be taken.

HERALD: Will you restart the pay parking facility in the city, which had stopped recently?

CHOPDEKAR: Parking is a major problem in the city. Currently there is no decision to re-introduce pay parking across the city limits. We have also seen that people going to the casinos haphazardly park their vehicles in no parking areas and in no entry zones. All this will be properly discussed in the council meeting.

HERALD: Will you work for co-ordination between the mayor,  the commissioner and corporators?

CHOPDEKAR: The coordination is very important. I will try my level best to discuss all the issues with the corporators so that everybody is on the right track as we are working for the city. I will give equal attention to all the wards.