TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: All eyes are focussed on Margao Municipal Council’s special meeting on Monday convened to adopt a resolution demanding special status for Goa.
While the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) is yet to take a call on the plea by the opposition councillors to postpone the meeting, MMC Chief Officer Deepali Naik has been admitted in a private hospital since Friday evening after she suffered from high pressure.
Given the situation, the ruling 12-member member group of councillors went in a huddle on Saturday evening, drawing up strategies in the event the Chief Officer fails to report to work by Monday or the possibility of DMA to fax a message on Monday morning calling for postponement of the meeting.
While DMA Elvis Gomes confirmed to Herald on Saturday evening that his office has not yet decided on the petition made by the opposition member group headed by ousted Chairperson Arthur D’Silva, the 12 member group was apparently trying to find out the legal position in the event the Chief Officer fails to report for work. A ruling councillor maintained that the Municipal Engineer is also a Grade I Officer on par with the Chief Officer and should not have any problem to attend the special meeting on Monday if the Chief Officer Deepali fails to turn up.
The group was also trying to find out whether the government had in the past issued any standing order, designating a Grade I officer to assume duties of the Chief Officer in the absence of the incumbent Chief officer.
The eight-member group had called for a postponement of Monday’s Special meeting on grounds that election for the post of Municipal Chairperson is scheduled on October 4.
