KARSTEN MIRANDA
karsten@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Mixed reactions follow Tuesday’s unprecedented special Margao Municipal Council meeting that saw heated exchanges between councillors and some people who entered the meeting hall and stayed through the meeting.
MMC Chairperson Arthur D’Silva, who has since gone on leave, tried to play down the incident and said that the air conditioner that the council sought to install was not for him but for the people. On the spat with Councillor Pratima Coutinho he said they are friends and he doesn’t have any problem with her and that she perhaps misunderstood him at the meeting.
“Officers are required and we need government support for it. This is only to relieve people from the troubles. We will take the views of the public and councillors and undertake maintenance and development works. We also need the support of Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai,” D’Silva said.
Councillor Sadanand Naik, who was in the thick of the action that unfolded at the meeting, takes a balanced view. “The expenses and income need to be shown and represented properly and only then we can go for the ACs and other expenses. The fact is that the municipality needs ACs as well as maintenance,” Naik said.
Taking a sympathetic stand towards D’Silva, councilor Raju Naik expressed his surprise at the turn of events. “Mistakes do happen. Sometimes by the chief officer and some by the chairperson and some by the councilors, but gentlemen from civil society, some of whom are my friends, shouldn’t barge into the meet and obstruct the council meet. This has happened for the first time in my career,” Naik said.
The councillors received support from legal expert, Advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho on their views, but not on their credibility.
“Citizens have no right to participate and ask questions. It is a meeting of the council. The problem is that the city fathers have lost credibility so much so that they are not in a position to tell the citizens not to intervene. I believe that if they had little extra integrity they would have required the chief officer to remove them from the gallery. Citizens may attend and question their representatives later at separate meetings. Law does not permit this direct confrontation,” Coutinho said. He also raised concerns that this could soon become a trend across municipalities.
The former member of the Law Commission added that if the law is amended some direction meets on the lines of mohalla sabha proposed by AAP in Delhi could be proposed.
Advocate Rajeev Gomes who has been at the forefront of this agitation had a different view. “As citizens we may have our own limitations which prevent us from diving into active politics. Nevertheless, we can strive to dedicate a little of our time to change our cities, towns and villages by ensuring that our elected representatives are held accountable and transparent. It is our right to expect them to work for us. They are not above us. We need not fear them. I want everyone to please join us in our struggle to make Goa a better place. Let us together be the champions of change,” Gomes said.
Social activist Cedric Da Costa felt this was a fruitful meeting and a good day for Margao.
“Some of the councilors left immediately. The chairperson said he can only request not force councilors to stay. I requested a ward inspection along with the councillor and citizens before monsoons. He said upon the request he would organize an interaction with the citizens,” Da Costa said.
