The Urban Development Minister Francisco D’Souza seems to have brought the curtains down on the demolition of the declared illegal construction of the Margao Municipal Chairman Gonzaco Rebello by bringing a stay order through his quasi-judicial powers on the MMC.
All this started a few backs based on a complaint by citizen journalist Savio Dias who raised concerns against an illegal structure in Mungul owned by the current MMC chairman Gonzaco Rebello. The Chief Officer Naveen SL and IAS officer, immediately declared the construction illegal and called for it demolition on April 08. But the Deputy Chief Minister has called a stay order on the construction and sort more details from his Margao Chief Officer.
While the stay has come, a lot of mudslinging between the Chief Officer and Chairperson has been taking place. Firstly, the chairperson led his municipal councillors to protest against the Chief Officer, but that was met by a democratic tsunami when Margao residents led by Rajeev Gomes came all out to oppose this influence culture of the councillors. The public pressure was so much that the councillors ran away from a public meeting to avoid a confrontation with their own voters.
Savio Coutinho who has had a two time stint as chairperson points out that a Chief Officer and the Chairperson do not always have a smooth working relationship.
“The problem here is that the chairperson is a political and elected figure and wants to always meet people’s request and satisfy people politically. While the Chief Officer is a legal person who is bound by the rules and will go slow in decision making to see that policy is followed. But there needs to be a middle path ironed out here and the tussle between the two cannot jeopardize the entire town.”
Coutinho, whose allegiance with the BJP is clear, alleged that Digambar Kamat the Margao MLA and former chief minister would bring in various chief officers to counter his work or to harass him as chairperson while his council would back him.
“Even then I kept my focus and would iron my differences daily, while I tried to stay legal at all times and I would see that I would have a smooth working relationship with the chief officer only so that the people were not inconvenienced”, he said.
However, certain dynamic chief officers, do win the hearts of the people, like the present Margao Chief Officer. Similarly, another former mayor from Margao, Eileen Colaco asserts that the present chief officer has done a great job in raising concerns against Gonzaco’s illegal construction and the construction should be razed. He also points out that it would be unfortunate if a stay is brought through government interference.
“The stay is till the next hearing on Aril 28. We have been made party and my lawyers have drafted a reply and we’re confident of winning this and clearing the illegal construction of anybody,” pointed Naveen SL, Margao Chief Officer while speaking to Herald. The matter is now sub-judice and if I proceed with the demolition, the Supreme Court has the powers to take action against me. So I will make my representation before the urban development minister and get this structure to be razed a few days.
But the public support to CO Naveen SL isn’t exactly a bed of roses with some murmurs of disgruntlement too.
Rajashree Nagarcekar, activist and AAP convenor who led the delegation against the councillors and gheraoed the municipal meeting a few days back pointed out that the general public has been complaining that the chief officer is “pro builder.” She stated that seeing the positive work the CO was doing curbing illegal construction, reducing red-tape and working on increased revenues and decreasing the municipalities overheads is the reason why she stood behind him along with the other citizens. But she said she is open to look into issues that the public are now raising
Senior citizen and a social activist, Jose Maria Miranda pointed out that suddenly it looks that the Chief Officer is pro builder lobby, more of the kind looking to accelerate construction in Margao while he has refused to address traffic management, waste management, illegal sewage disposal, illegal encroachments in the market and around town and this now raises an eyebrow on this so called cleaned chief officer.
While Rajeev Gomes, an advocate and most vocal against the MMC and its councillors through Facebook maintains that the conduct of the Margao Municipal councillors of running away from their own voters in the most cowardly fashion, and summoning the police to the municipal Hall to intimidate innocent citizens is most deplorable by any standards. “We the people are supreme and our elected representatives are rightfully our public servants, and let it remain so.”
And that rightfully should be the last word.
