Top Stories
Pernem town reels under neglect as its councillors play ‘musical chairs’ | Goa News – Times of India
[ad_1]
Constant political turmoil and the ‘musical chairs’ phenomenon appear to have steered the councillors’ attention away from the myriad issues afflicting Pernem town, such as the pressing need for a suitable fish market and town hall, the persistent stray dog menace, and lack of a good drainage system.
Those holding positions at the municipality could not get as much as a decent building for themselves during the last term. The foundation stone for a new structure was announced to be laid on June 18, 2013, with no further progress made.
The rare feat of all councillors having enjoyed top positions at PMC could be achieved as there was a change in guard for the Pernem constituency with BJP’s Rajendra Arlekar being defeated by MGP’s Manohar Ajgaonkar at the 2017 assembly polls. Ajgaonkar later moved over to BJP.
The seat of chairperson was reserved for women, due to which councillors Smita Kudatarkar, Usha Nagvekar, Shradha Mashelkar, Suvidha Teli, and Shweta Kambli were able to hold the post. Meanwhile, Upendra Deshprabhu, Prashant Gadekar, Deepak Mandrekar, Siddhesh Pednekar and Gajanan Sawaldessai got an opportunity to serve as deputy chairperson during 2015-2020.
Seven councillors backed by Arlekar had won the municipal elections in 2015 and Smita Kudatarkar was made the chairperson. In the 2017 assembly polls, Arlekar lost to Ajgaonkar, prompting the latter to form a group of eight councillors among whom he distributed the chairperson and deputy chairperson’s posts for a term of eight months each.
“As each one’s tenure was very short, all the chairpersons and deputy chairpersons must have lost this time in just learning the ropes,” said a political observer, adding that this trend of chair rotation in municipalities and panchayats hampers development as nobody has a broader tenure and a vision for development.
Pernem town, which is counted among the ‘backward’ areas of Goa in terms of development, still sees its weekly Thursday market virtually held on the roads traversing the town, creating traffic jams and various hardships for vendors and customers.
The situation worsens during the monsoon and there is no protection from rain for vendors and buyers. Even a fire brigade cannot pass through this chaos in case of an emergency.
In 2013, the PMC had announced that a new multipurpose, three-storeyed building would be constructed across 18,000sqm of land. It had said the project would have facilities like a parking area, a conference hall with 250 seating capacity and eight different offices for the chairperson, deputy chairperson, and chief officer. However, eight years down the line, there has been no progress.
Incumbent MLA Ajgaonkar, however, insisted that he has initiated whatever development Pernem has seen, including a Rs 1.1-crore general crematorium, beautification and construction of new roads and temples in the constituency. He also said a tender has already been issued for construction of the municipal administrative building and that a work order would be issued in December “immediately after the government lifts the memorandum to take up development work”.
In his rebuttal, former minister and ex-Pernem MLA, Arlekar, said that merely constructing a municipality building did not imply that Pernem was developed. In fact, he maintained that the first time the constituency had witnessed any development was during his term as MLA. “In my tenure, the new bus stand was completed, a college was constructed, roads were widened and bridges built. Farmers were also trained to cultivate sugarcane and began earning in lakhs,” he said.
Arlekar also said he had tried to take up work on a municipality building but could not proceed due to legal issues, and that although he had identified land for a market complex, his successor hadn’t taken the project forward.
[ad_2]
Source link
Special Stories
Broke Swiggy guy walks 3 km to deliver food, Social media helps him find better job. Heartwarming story is viral
Social media can be a wondrous place at times. While on most days, its ugly face is on display, on days like today, it sets examples of the power of kindness. In a social media post, a LinkedIn user shared how a delivery executive, in need of money and a better job, bagged one after the users on the platform came together to help the person out.
Priyanshi Chandel, Marketing Manager at tech company Flash, shared an incident about a Swiggy delivery agent who had come to deliver food at her residence. When she asked the late and out-of-breath delivery person, identified by her as Sahil Singh, about what happened, he told her that he had no transport and had to walk 3 km to deliver the order.
He also said that he was out of money and had nothing left to pay his landlord too. Singh told her that he was not looking for money from her but requested her to help him bag a job. He said that he had a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering, and had worked with Byju’s and Ninjacart before. He had to move back to Jammu during the pandemic.
“I have not eaten for a week, just drinking water and tea to get by. I am not asking for anything, please if you can find me a job, I used to make 25k before, I am 30 years old, my parents are getting old and I can’t keep asking for money from them (sic),” Chandel quoted saying.
She also shared his marksheets and contact number for people to help. His details shared show that he is a 2018 BTech graduate from Mewar University, and completed his schooling from the Jammu and Kashmir state board.
After she shared the details, the comments section was filled with people who stepped up to help. While someone recharged his Yulu account so that he did not have to walk around to deliver food, someone offered a place to stay. Many offered to help him with his applications, while some offered jobs too.
Chandel, later on put an update on the post, and said that he received a job.
However, so far it is unclear what job he has received.
2023 has so far been a year of job losses, an eventual outcome of the pandemic and increased hiring by tech companies. For instance, the SSC MTS 2023 recruitment exam that took place in Uttar Pradesh in May saw over 55 lakh applications for Group D jobs. Numerous candidates who applied for positions such as peon, watchman, gardener had educational backgrounds like BTech, MBA, and Master’s degrees.
Top Stories
Election Commission announces polling dates and counting days for Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 states
On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States, namely, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
While briefing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra informed that the elections in the poll-bound States will commence from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022. Elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 7 phases, followed by Manipur with 2 phases. Elections in Goa, Uttarkhand and Punjab will be conducted in a single phase.
According to the Election Commission of India, the votes will be counted on March 10, 2022. ECI informed that all physical campaigning will be ceased until January 15, 2022, in light of the rising cases of Coronavirus.
-
Local7 years agoKEJRIWAL ASSURES MODEL MINING TO GOANS
-
Crime8 years agoMAN BRUTALLY MURDERED IN PANJIM
-
Local8 years agoHEATED ARGUMENT BETWEEN TRAFFIC COP AND BIKE RIDER BLOCKS ROAD AT MAPUSA
-
Top Stories2 years agoWorld famous Tito’s nightclub sold! Owner alleges harassment from ‘Officials’ as the reason
-
Crime8 years agoDouble Murder At Dhargal
-
Crime8 years agoNude Body Found at Margao, Murder Suspected
-
Sports10 months agoWatch: Messi’s extraordinary goal that sent Argentina into FIFA World Cup quarters, leaves behind Maradona and Ronaldo
-
Crime8 years agoCAUGHT ON CAMERA: Youth Breaking into School at Mapusa
You must be logged in to post a comment Login