Job regularisation gets priority as Manohar Parrikar visits office after 4 months

PORVORIM: Chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday visited his office at the secretariat after four months. He was there for an hour, and interacted with cabinet colleagues and other key officials. While returning home, he also inspected the work on the third Mandovi bridge, which is likely to be completed this month.

“Parrikar reviewed work on the bridge,” said an official. “Construction is on track, and it will be completed this month,” he added, however stressing that he wasn’t sure when the bridge would be thrown open to the public.

On his arrival at the secretariat, Parrikar was welcomed and greeted by BJP workers at around 9.45am. He met speaker Pramod Sawant, PWD minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, panchayats minister Mauvin Godinho, power minister Nilesh Cabral, Urban development minister Milind Naik, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha and former MLAs –– Sidharth Kuncalienker and Kiran Kandolkar.

Naik later told reporters that Parrikar said that he would work from the secretariat.

An official told TOI that during his brief interaction, Parrikar issued instructions to principal secretary P Krishnamurthy to expedite work on the regularisation of contract workers.

Cabinet meet likely this week

Around 800-900 such workers have their regularisation pending.

While a draft scheme on the same is ready, it needs to be approved by the government, said an official. He, however, wasn’t sure if the scheme would be on the agenda of the next cabinet meeting, which is likely to be held this week. Sources said that it’s important that the scheme is approved at the earliest. If the election code of conduct comes into force, no decision will be taken until election results are declared. Besides, apart from parliamentary polls, Goa is set to have byelections in two constituencies — Mandrem and Shiroda.