Drama unfolded in the commercial capital on Monday after Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai along with the people laid the foundation stone for the proposed parking plaza on the Margao Municipal Council acquired land at the Old market.
The foundation laying ceremony by the people along with the MLA came hours after the Director of Municipal Administration Gurudas Pilarnekar cancelled the foundation stone laying ceremony due to some unavoidable circumstances.
Suspecting foul play behind the cancellation of the programme at the eleventh hour due to political pressure given that Margao MLA Digambar Kamat is presently abroad, an agitated Sardesai trained his guns at the Congress-turned-BJP MLA, blaming him for the cancellation of the programme just because his name would not find a mention on the foundation stone.
Sardesai and his Goa Forward Party-backed councillors along with former chairpersons, councillors Ganashyam Shirodkar, Lyndon Pereira, and Pooja Naik, besides former chairpersons Savio Coutinho and Babita Prabhudesai, along with BJP leader Ketan Kurtarkar and citizens laid the foundation stone.
“See the audacity of the Margao MLA for cancelling the foundation stone laying programme just because he is presently abroad. The man who did nothing to solve the burning parking issue in the Margao constituency is cancelling the programme in Fatorda. Margao has been blessed with three open spaces at the old bus stand, old fish market and pick-up stand, but the MLA has failed to put a parking lot in place at these sites despite ruling the city for 30 years, including his stint as chief minister,” Sardesai said.
He added: “I wonder why the man who claimed that God had told him to defect from the Congress to join the BJP did not tell him to put a parking lot in Margao in the last 30 years when Madgavkars, as well as Saxttikars, have been complaining of acute parking space in the commercial capital.”
He further stressed the need to awaken Goenkarponn in Margao by bringing all the people together and find out an alternative in the city.
“The parking lot along with other major works was initiated by me in 2017. Since the government has cancelled the foundation stone laying programme, I suspect something fishy that the project may not see the light of the day given the government’s recent track record. The contractor has got the work order. But, we doubt that the project may be put on the back burner as was done in the past. Hence we have held a people’s foundation stone programme,” he said.
Social activist Jose Marie Miranda, who addressed the gathering, said he has always supported the development, but on condition that it is sustainable in nature. He, however, said the present government has a bad track record on development when it has pushed through projects such as coal, track doubling etc just to save their chair.
Former chairpersons Savio Coutinho, Babita Angle Prabhudesai and others also addressed the gathering.
