Politics in Margao Municipal Council Hampering Work

PACHU MENON, MARGAO

The Margao municipal council is unique in the sense that even after all these years it continues to draw attention for issues that belie its ‘urban’ limits of governance. With all the activities centred within the premises of the building, it is difficult to comprehend the claims of development the MMC has brought to the city and its suburbs. Apparently, the council has developed a sudden amnesia over the scope of its works! Clearing the footpaths of unlicensed vendors and bringing orderliness to the streets is more of a routine job that hardly calls for the involvement of the council members. It is a pity that in spite of the overwhelming majority of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) councillors, the city of Margao and the Fatorda township continue to cry for attention. That the ‘rare and unusual’ visit by TCP Minister and GFP chief to take stock of the situation at the MMC last week was primarily to diffuse the tension between the councillors and the chairperson who were at loggerheads speaks for the unhealthy relations that characterise the ruling faction. It is once again rivalry and politics within the MMC that has taken precedence over any commitment towards development works. So how has the present council been different from the past ones that sat over the city’s administration? Novel schemes can only produce results when they are carried out in all earnestness. The presentation of e-cycles to GFP councillors with an aim to help decongest the city and contribute to make it green is one such venture. However, with passages and balconies doubling up as dumping spaces for unwanted material, including e-waste, evidences of the MMC turning its building into a ‘scrapyard’ with the structure renowned for its typical architecture presenting a ‘different look’ inside, contrary to its exteriors, doubts persist over the capabilities of the city fathers to bring about a turn-around in the fortunes of Margao and Fatorda in as far as their ‘aesthetic visage’ is concerned. With several proposals being grounded for want of a council resolution, the MMC is gripped by a sort of execution paralysis.