Team Herald
PANJIM: Political compulsions to reward Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate – for his ‘secret election deal’ in the 2017 Panjim by-election – with the chairmanship of the Greater Panjim Planning and Development Authority (PDA) is currently haunting Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijai Sardesai, who continues to face the people’s wrath on the move.
Once stripped of the TCP portfolio for alleged corruption in 2001-02 by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, 17 years later, Monserrate was rewarded by another Parrikar-led coalition government with a PDA formed only to accommodate the former Minister – who had joined hands with Goa Forward Party (GFP) just before the by-polls in August 2017.
GPPDA, the brainchild of Monserrate, consisting of 14 villages covering Taleigao, Kadamba Plateau, and the constituencies of St Andre and St Cruz, was constituted in February this year. The sole purpose behind this was to satisfy the former St Cruz MLA who has managed to be on the side of the government, irrespective of who is in power and whether he is an MLA or not.
However, while on the one hand Monserrate has been enjoying a smooth sail, TCP Minister and GFP president Sardesai is having some sleepless nights. The Fatorda MLA, who continues to face the people’s anguish over his move to align with BJP in forming the State government, now finds himself in the centre of an unwarranted controversy.
Sources close to Sardesai said that the Minister is aware that the opposition is not to the PDA but to Monserrate, who is heading it. “Monserrate has once threatened to quit Goa Forward Party and go against government if GPPDA is scrapped. He is happy even with Taleigao,” sources said.
The fresh demand for scrapping the entire PDA gives a clear picture that the opposition is basically to Monserrate and not entirely to the GPPDA. Scrapping of the GPPDA does not arise as Taleigao has always been part of a PDA earlier the North Goa PDA, while there is no opposition for inclusion of Kadamba plateau.
