Tavde brought back as MMC CO

MARGAO, APRIL 16
The Margao Municipal administration has virtually come full circle with the government posting Y B Tavde as the Chief Officer of the Civic body in place of Prasanna Acharya.
Tavde, who was unceremoniously shunted out of the Margao Municipal body last year, is back in the saddle. Incidentally, this is the fourth time in the last three years, the government has posted Tawde to head the Margao Civic administration after shunting him out of office in the past on various counts.
How many months would Tavde now survive as head of the Margao Municipal administration only time would tell, but Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat has justified the government decision to appoint Tavde as MMC’s CO.
“The government had to act because the incumbent CO Acharya was probably was not keen to continue as the chief Officer. Besides, I was approached by the Councilors complaining that Acharya was not showing much interest in the Civic administration”, Kamat said.
Replying to a question, Kamat said there is no point in posting an officer who has no interest of the Civic body at heart. He was obvious referring to past experiences wherein A Grade officer Elvis Gomes had refused to join duties as MMC CO and in fact got his transfer order cancelled. “I would prefer a Grade I officer who stays in Margao to occupy the position of Margao CO. An officer putting up in Panjim or Mapusa would not serve any purpose”, Kamat added.
But, when his attention was drawn to the fact that the very same Margao Municipal Councilors had knocked his doors to get Tavde transferred last year, Kamat said in a lighter vein “may be the Councilors have now realized that Tavde was the better choice over Acharya”.
Tavde was first transferred and posted to the Margao Civic body on August 23, 2006 and he had an eight month stint in office, before he was shunted out in view of the polls. He returned back to the hot seat on June 11, 2007, but was shunted out of office two months later on August 16 after being replaced by N D Agrawal.
Agrawal presided over the reigns of MMC administration between August 17, 2007 to March 12, 2008 before Tavde returned back to the hot seat on March 13, 2008 before he was replaced last year by Prasanna Acharya.
Following the government’s transfer order, Tavde has taken charge of office on Friday morning, but he has a task cut out for him. The Municipal administration is totally lying in the doldrums and the situation had only aggravated due to Acharya’s long absence in the corridors of the Civic body over the last one month.
In fact, Acharya and the ruling body were literally engaged in a cold war over the host of issues, affecting the day-to-day Civic administration.