City Mayor Surendra Furtado, in an exclusive interview with ‘The Navhind Times,’ speaks to Ramnath N Pai Raikar about the plans for the development of Panaji, during his second tenure
Q: After being elected as the city Mayor again, you had maintained that you want to legalise the illegal tenants occupying Panaji market, instead of penalising them. What is the idea behind this decision?
We had a couple of meetings with the Panaji Municipal Market Tenants Association where we had come to the final conclusion that the Corporation of the City of Panaji would sign agreements with legal heirs and blood relations of the original tenants. The members of the association had come to these meetings with their lawyers, and agreed for the same. However, later the association members said that they would sign on the dotted line of the agreement only if the Corporation legalises the illegal tenants in the market. Now a new market committee of the CCP has been constituted under Uday Madkaikar. This committee will call for a meeting with the association, and the association will send me a formal proposal about this legalising demand. This proposal would then be put up before the Corporation councillors, and once the councillors pass a resolution to this effect, I will forward it to the government because the market property belongs to the government and not the CCP. The CCP, public works department and the health department are just the collaborators of the government in the market. Let the government take the decision. However, after the resolution is forwarded to the government, I expect the legal heirs and blood relations of the original tenants to sign on the lease agreements. There is no option to legalising the illegal tenants in the market.
Q: You have been elected for the post of the city Mayor for the consecutive second term. What is your immediate priority for the city of Panaji?
My immediate priority for Panaji would be cleaning of all the storm drains in the city. I have started their cleaning as a pre-monsoon exercise, from mid-January itself, and by the end of March, the entire city will be cleaned by removal of debris, mud, stones and so on. The city was not cleaned for so many years as the contractor and our technical department, which gave them this task, were both hands-in-glove. This year, I brought the contractor myself, and am personally supervising the work morning and evening.
My second priority is meeting the Chief Minister after the end of the budget session. I want him to help us in the development and beautification of the St Inez Creek. Last July, I almost got myself drowned in the creek, while de-weeding it, with lot of criticism on the social media. I, however, got the creek de-weeded with the help of a company, which charged me Rs 15 lakh. Of course, I got this amount sponsored by four corporate houses. This exercise now has to be taken up for another three years.
Thirdly, I want all the city footpaths and drains to be done up, once and for all, by appointing surveyors from the department of land survey, so as to provide me with the plans of levels of all roads, drains and footpaths. We will have single coloured pavers and uniform height for footpaths throughout Panaji. I have also prepared an estimate for fixing steel railings on both sides of the footpaths from the ferry point near Institute Menezes Braganza to Miramar. I want to convert this area into a beautiful avenue.
I have also sent an estimate for Rs 5 crore for painting of the Panaji municipal market, putting up new lights, fitting 250 CCTV cameras and doing up the footpaths as well as roads. There are also city developmental works worth around Rs 6 crore to be taken up by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Q: Your speech also urged Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to devolve administrative and financial powers to the Corporation of the City of Panaji under the 74th amendment and give all the local bodies 40 per cent of the state budget…
During the Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre, this particular amendment had come into force. Most of the urban local bodies that are municipalities and corporations have already got powers under this amendment. However, these bodies in Goa have no such powers. Further, the CCP has no by-laws and the CCP Act has very limited scope. We have already appointed N D Agarwal to frame the by-laws. Fortunately, everything is ready and I will get them passed at the first Corporation meeting convened. I also want the 40 per cent of the state budget being spent on Corporation and the municipalities. I have been fighting with the government to provide the CCP with an all-official technical cell, headed by the principal chief engineer, as our present technical cell has become defunct and is restricting itself to issue trade licences, repair licences, construction licences and occupancy certificates.
Q: The proposed solid waste management facility at Bainguinim has remained a distant dream of the CCP. And now with Cumbharjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar becoming the minister, this dream is difficult to be fulfilled. Your comment!
I would like to appeal to the Cumbharjua MLA and the Chief Minister that they should not buckle under any pressure. If Bainguinim land is given to the CCP, let the project come there. Unfortunately, the Saligao garbage treatment plant is not meant for Panaji. The garbage from Panaji was collected and taken to Saligao only during the election period, and after the election it was stopped, stating that this plant is meant only for the panchayats from North Goa. Therefore, the government should immediately start the work of the Bainguinim solid waste management plant on war footing, or as Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate and the MLA of Taleigao have offered 25,000 sq mts of land in Taleigao, for constructing a garbage treatment plant, the government should take benefit of the same. I am presently handicapped as city areas namely Miramar, Campal, Caranzalem and Altinho are full of dry waste, and I don’t have a dumping site. I have been putting this dry waste, besides debris in some private properties in Miramar, Campal and so on, but now, even they are full to their capacity.
Q: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, during his recent tenure as the defence minister failed to revert to the CCP, the large chunk of city land presently occupied by the Defence Ministry. Do you foresee this difficult task being fulfilled in the future?
I had continuously written to A K Anthony, Arun Jaitley and Manohar Parrikar, when they were defence ministers, requesting them to give the said land back to the CCP, so that we could provide multi-parking facilities to the citizens. It was not done. I told Parrikar, when he was the defence minister, to complete the task, especially as he was elected from Panaji for many terms. Ironically, he had cleared a file in 45 minutes, I am told, giving acres of Defence Ministry land to the Karnataka government. Why couldn’t he give 4,000 sq mts of land back to the people from Panaji? I am also appealing to him to give the Adil Shah Palace to the CCP, to be used as the Corporation’s headquarters.
Q: In spite of being selected for development under the Smart City Mission of the central government, the city of Panaji seems to be miles away from taking benefit of this scheme.
I don’t know from what curse is this city suffering. We had brought funds to the tune of Rs 300 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM); it went back. Now, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)/ Smart City Mission have come; nothing is happening. I appeal to the MLAs of Panaji and Taleigao, Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, and the Chief Minister to sit together with me and work it out. I am ready to sit anywhere. I have no ego. I am ready to humble myself for the sake of Panjimites and the city. Let them take the credit; I am ready to be in the background.
Q: You recently mentioned your ties with the Chief Minister as ‘War of Lovers.’ How would you describe your relationship with the CCP Commissioner?
I have no problem with my Commissioner. He should only sit with the Mayor as the Mayor is the head of the Corporation, and he is only the head of the administration in the Corporation. I would request the Chief Minister to direct the Commissioner to cooperate with the Mayor and the councillors, ruling as well as the opposition. We are here to deliver the goods to the people of Panaji. This is not anything for my personal gain.