Herald: Let’s start with topic no 1, which is the functioning of the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC). If you talk of the MMC, starting from traffic congestion to parking to no proper market to the fact that 11 crore of dues are yet to be recovered. Deepak, I’ll start with you. I’m sure these are not problems that you’ve created, but inherited. You were voted to power at a young age, but nothing seems to have changed.
Naik: The new council has taken over hardly four months ago. Regarding traffic, Vasco has many problems. We had two meetings on the issue and a traffic plan has already been finalized. Previously there were no signboards, no no-entry zones and people were parking anywhere. Now if people park anywhere the municipality tows the vehicles. Only we haven’t started fining there are no signboards. The traffic plan will be implemented within 15 days.
Joshi: Let me make it clear that I am for the local self-governments. They are very important, but we have failed to understand the whole thing. In fact, Goa has a peculiar problem. Goa is a small state of just 15 lakh people and we have 11 municipalities. How much of Vasco is in the hands of the municipality? In Vasco, we are a sandwiched territory. You go five kilometres one side and you have Mormugao Port Trust, which says it is protected by the Major Port Trust Act. So MPT is not concerned with the municipality. You go a little down South, there is the Navy, which says it is protected by the National Security Act. What is left is just 55 percent of the town. Within that town, you have the Electricity Department, which says don’t touch any electricity poles. Then there is the Traffic Department which says they make the rules and only the parking space belongs to the municipality. Then you have the Public Works Department which says that it will open the gutters anytime it wants without taking the municipality’s permission. The municipality has enough power to stop it. There are too many authorities for a small town. This is creating confusion in the minds of the corporators.
Khan: When the public gives mandate to the councillors, they want everything to be streamlined. Why can’t we give a full-time chairperson to the municipality? Why do we have to dance to the tunes of the MLAs? The chairperson is the first citizen of Vasco. He has to take the initiative and do what he wants to take care of Vascokaars. We need a one-time chairperson supported by the councillors If that happens, everything will fall in place.
Kamat: We had a Chief Officer who is now the passport officer. The system in the passport office is so simple. We could upgrade the system in the municipality and make it a smart system. We don’t need a smart city. Just make the municipality and Planning and Development Authority smart. The engineers in the municipality have knowledge but do not have computers to work with. Why don’t we make them more efficient by giving them infrastructure? When you go abroad, you see many departments. We need that here. We also need transparency in the council meetings. We need to see the minutes. The public wants to know what’s going on. We can help the municipality if it helps us. The website has not been updated for five years. Why don’t we have a volunteer system? Have students and young people work with the municipality and give them certificates. We have land issues. The Navy has acquired 45,000 sq mts of land opposite the gurudwara. There are slums and the municipality hasn’t done anything with those. We could approach our MLA, get the land back and do something about the slums. The people who live there are ours. What has happened to the land near the vegetable market? Then there are two lakes at Maimollem and Baina. We have to identify these as wetlands to protect them from encroachments. The MMC and PDA need to look at the overall planning. There was a city planner for Vasco, but we don’t know what happened to that fellow. We want to get involved in the discussions and help the municipality. Just let us be on board.
Messias: Deepak has inherited a municipality that consists of a number of employees who really need to be motivated. That would be his main task. In the last few years, the municipality hardly functioned and they came up with a system where the chairperson changed every six months. Before the chairperson even understood the problem of garbage and segregation, she was out. This game of musical chairs should stop. Deepak’s first task would be to motivate the staff because they’ve become lethargic. That’s the main problem in the municipalities. If that is done, the list of problems will be solved.
Coutinho: I do feel the councillors and chairperson wants to put things in place, but there is so much interference from bigwigs. As a result, they are unable to do justice to the cause. If there is an illegal construction, the chairperson wants to do something about it, but then someone or the other comes and the chairperson’s hands are tied.
Damle: From 2011 to 2014, I must have made ‘n’ number of trips to MMC with many letters and suggestions regarding market problems, electricity problems or shopkeepers littering the footpaths. I inward my letter, get a copy and after that I don’t hear from them. From 2014, I decided to do what I could. I informed the councillors who usually come and help me and that’s how I go about it. I stopped going to the MMC.
Nunes: Everything should not be left to the chairperson. After being elected, the councillors need to sit with the chairperson and list out their priorities in their respective wards. Office functioning will fall in place. Unless you list out the priorities in this ward, nothing will happen. When the councillors take the initiative, people will also appreciate it. The councillors, chairperson, Chief Officer and staff should sit together and sort out their priorities.
Herald: The issue here is that this is happening in every urban body. Political interference in the functioning of municipalities is become immense. Either the local MLA controls it. There has to be a limit to the level of interference. I agree with Paresh that ultimately these are people who have been elected. Let the city have its own system of governance. Let the city get its own funds. Vasco contributes 400 crore towards octroi. How much money does Vasco get? Why can’t the MMC and Vascokaars demand that if they are putting in Rs 400 crore, they need some more money. Otherwise the State government has no business complaining to the Centre that we raise some much taxes and nothing comes to Goa. Ultimately the MMC needs to tighten up and there needs to be a huge change. The time has come for Vasco to demand its rights. At the same time, we’re not letting the MMC go scot-free. If it manages to recover its Rs 11 crore dues, a lot of its problems will also be solved.
Joshi: I believe the municipality should be government by the Municipality Act. We run the municipality as per our bosses. The Rs 11 crore pending taxes is nothing but a big racket created by a bureaucrat. The Municipal Act is very clear. The councillors cannot do anything that they like. They have to go by the law. When you want to bypass the law, you go to your bosses and get things done. The Municipality Act states gives an amount that you should charge for residential houses and commercial establishments. That amount has been put. In 1997, that amount was very high – Rs 40 for commercial and Rs 30 for residential. The government changed the Act and made it Rs 25 and Rs 12. the bureaucracy went by the first rates and went on charging people. I was also treated as a defaulter. The municipality even went for recovery. I approached the courts of law and asked the Director of Municipal Administration to give me a letter which says that it had approved charging high rates. The DMA gave me a clear letter which says that it had not approved such an amount. I won that case. I showed that letter to the municipality and accordingly revoked the legal proceedings against me. Now what has happened is that the municipality has charged 18 percent interest on those rates of Rs 25 and Rs 12, whereas the rulebook says 12 percent per annum. In a recent meeting, the Chief Officer made another statement that had received money from 80 percent of tenants. If Rs 11 crore represents only 20 percent of recovery, then the amount the municipality must have collected from the people must be huge. That Rs 11 crore is based on a total false figure. The outstanding amount will not be more than Rs 2.5 crore. I can prove it.
Naik: When I was first elected, I had no idea what was politics. But then I learned. After 10 years I knew what I had to do if I became chairperson and with that intention I stood for election and became the chairperson. When I took over, there was a municipal strike by labourers who were not paid salaries because the municipality did not have funds. When the new council took over, there were no funds. I had taken a few bold decisions. Regarding octroi, at the last meeting we took a decision that octroi of Rs 300 to 400 crore we would collect. A Rs 31 lakh proposal for a garbage plant, retaining wall and gutter was rejected after the DMA passed it to the finance department. If the government does not clear a Rs 31 lakh file, how will I run the municipality? It’s very difficult to function without money. Even two years later we have not received our salary grants. If the government can’t clear a low-cost project, why should we give octroi of Rs 300 – 400 crore to the government? Secondly we have already started building a retaining wall for the Maimollem Lake costing Rs 3.5 crore. Vasco is also getting many projects, like the fish market and CO’s bungalow.
Khan: Our municipality passes many resolutions, but does not implement it. In Vasco we have a number of foundation stones, but no projects. Before putting the stone, there should be tenders and you have to finalise a contractor and get the funds. After that you put the foundation stone. The people of Vasco have been fooled by the municipality. We have been hearing about the fish market the day our Assembly election got over. The KTC bus stand is also not there.
Herald: The second issue is about coal pollution in Vasco. This problem is not new, people have been complaining about it for years. GSPCB has given various notices on this coal pollution issue, but to no effect. People from Vasco have launched several mass protests and the MMC has also raised concerns about coal pollution during several meetings. The present council has resolved to ban coal and bauxite transportation through the city roads. When do we even begin to start solving it?
Kamat: I have four points to make. The GSPCB seems to be making noise in newspapers, but in reality there is no action. Apparently, GSPCB has been sending show-cause notices to Adani and JSW, but if you ask for the paperwork, GSPCB have no such copies. So no notices have been issued. The plants were told by GSPCB that they should reduce their coal handing capacity to 75 percent of its capacity. In reality, they are only working at 78 percent of capacity. It doesn’t make a difference. As per information received in December 2015, the pollution monitoring stations were not working for six months prior. So no measures have been taken.
Damle: For more than a decade they are talking about this Mangoor-MPT highway, and this has just not happened. Every year they say they will get the highway and this problem of Vasco will be solved. Other than coal, the garbage that is burnt at Sada, right opposite the hospital, is creating more pollution.
Herald: Has Vasco done enough to step in? Have Vascokars formed groups and moved court? Has the citizens’ reaction to this menace been strong enough?
Joshi: Yes, and we won one of the biggest battles. For coal pollution in Vasco, we have to bring in our politicians again. Why did we get this coal? This coal was rejected by three ports. The import of coal in India was rejected by three major ports, including at Tamil Nadu. Finally, a Central minister forced it on Goa. The operation at the post level is by some guidelines. Our MPT failed to implement the same and that is why we had one of the biggest pollution menaces that we had at Berth 10. It was a political decision to bring coal, and it is political will that can take it away. Political will is required. Manohar Parrikar, in his first stint, took the decision. He had a meeting in the municipality and within two months, Berth 10 operations were stopped. If it is possible for a Chief Minister to stop it in two months, other operations can also be stopped. Coal is offloaded in several ports across the world, but there is a particular process that has to be followed, i.e. it has to be unloaded through hoppers. It has to be unloaded in such a way that coal dust doesn’t fly. If the volume of coal is large, they are supposed to sprinkle them with water. To some extent, one of the companies at MPT is doing it. The GSPCB is a tiger without teeth. One strong political decision is needed. You asked us did we all collectively try to stop it. No. At one point we did. If the government has strong political will, it can get rid of all these things within one month.
Khan: In 2012, Parrikar had come to Vasco city and given a big speech that Vasco would be free of coal pollution. He said he would ensure zero-pollution by stopping operations at Berths 10 and 11. If he had promised to stop coal pollution, why were the operations shifted to Berths 5 and 7? Until and unless the government permits, a project cannot come here.
Messias: One thing is very clear: coal handling cannot stop because there are very big players. For the last twenty years, we have had people suddenly coming up and trying to oppose coal pollution, but they were silenced. This has been going on. We need to ensure that at least basic cleanliness is there, like watering and covering.
Nunes: The MPT has a Board of Trustees. The chairperson or vice-chairperson of the MPT can be included as members so that the municipality knows what is happening. They can then tell the MPT if they do not want something.
Kamat: Vascokaars are being fooled all the time. It can be the MPT, politicians, the municipality – we are being fooled all the time and our money is being taken away. This coal pollution is unacceptable. Health is the biggest richness you can have. Is the MPT’s expansion plan in line with our? Let us work together. The port and the port town have to be together. Why are we fighting each other for our health? The MPT has also started dredging the channel. The GCZMA has asked a national body to conduct a study as to what will be the impact of this dredging on Vasco. This hasn’t happened. The work has already started. Next year if the hills collapse, MPT will say it doesn’t know why. Is that the way they work with people? The MPT has to make itself transparent and tell us what it will do for us. We are there with MPT.
Coutinho: For that past 20 years, there has hardly been any development in this place. Previously there was dust pollution, now there is coal pollution. I go visiting houses. People tell me that they can’t keep the doors open because dust comes in and people are suffering from so many lung diseases. As Savio has said, we can’t possibly do away with it. This can happen if all the people rise up. Only then change can take place. People mean power. This is what we have to show to our legislators.
Naik: From 1996 to 2016, coal pollution has been affecting Vasco. Nobody has been united on the issue.
AUDIENCE
SPEAK
Jayant Jadhav, Vasco citizen
The chairperson said he is taking bold decision, but those decisions have to be implemented. He has to get cooperation from everybody. For the sake of opposition we should not oppose those decisions. I have spent 45 years in Baina. On the coal pollution issue, let’s oppose it together. And the municipality has to be modernised. E-governance is needed. Every day in Mangoor you can see one house coming up after the other. Who is monitoring it? I pay house tax, water bills and electricity bills. For all legal things, the municipality says it wants to conduct inspections. And after that he says to come after one year.
K B Kulkarni, Vasco citizen
We had many issues that we took up with the CO and chairperson. We even wrote to them and showed photographs. They expressed shock and asked us to send an email. When I sent the email, there was no response or acknowledgement. That is very pathetic. The municipality building was painted recently. We told them that some problems needed to be taken care of before that. The municipality said it would be taken care of. Today, behind the municipality, drains are leaking badly and trees are uprooted.
Advocate Shridhar, social worker
We had filed a writ petition against coal pollution. The coal handling at Berths 10 and 11 was stopped because of court intervention. The court order said that operations should be done in a shed. Because it could not be done, operations had to be shut down. The case went on for 12 years. Now we will have to go for a fresh petition. We are in the process of it.
Parshuram Shetye, citizen
Our chairperson said the MMC had taken some bold decisions regarding Vaddem Lake. What is it they are doing at Vaddem Lake? They spoke about a new fish market coming up. Why hasn’t the existing fish market been modernised rather than getting a new market? We also have a vegetable market, but still the vendors are allowed to sit elsewhere.
Audience member
In this discussion, I just got to know why the municipality can’t function. Maybe because companies are being controlled by the Centre or maybe because of the MLAs. If two MLAs can control 13 members, I don’t think the municipality should exist anymore. Two things can really help us: transparency and initiatives. If you’re going to stand against coal pollution, we will stand with you. But everytime we have an expeirience that when somebody takes up an issue, everybody else disappears. That should not happen.
Eddy Fernandes, Vasco resident
A councillor is elected to nurture and cater to the ward from where he is elected. He should raise issues and all 25 councillors can sit together at meetings and come up with ways to settle those issues. I strongly believe that the council is controlled by the MLAs. Why? The ore operations have stopped at the port because of the mining ban. What the port survives on is basically the coal. If the coal operations are stopped, what happens to the port employees? What happens to the shipping companies and transporters? Control pollution, but don’t stop operations.
Audience member
We need to declare war against garbage, coal pollution and every other issue. We need to come with concrete solutions and implement them.
Former councillor
The Municipal Act is a beautiful act. The Act gives power to form committees, which have as much power as the chairman of the municipal council. We have formed a committee to improve our municipal school by creating a budget. The chairman of that committee was sanctioning books, computers and libraries. This has to be done. When I was a councillor, I was amongst 17 new councillors. We organised a trip to Belgaum and had a four-day training. That training helped us read the Act and tighten the nuts of the municipality.
