DECCAN HERALD=20
Thursday, August 29, 2002 =20
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Princess of Mandovi under threat
Devika Sequeira
DH News Service=20
PANAJI, Aug 28=20
Citizens are enraged; the Opposition believes the move is politically motiv=
ated; and historians say it would be the final nail in the coffin of a grac=
eful, picturesque and compact capital city being effaced of character.
The BJP government's sudden and unexpected decision to convert the Panjim M=
unicipal Council (PMC) into a corporation, and extend its geographical limi=
ts to far-flung panchayats (in another taluka) has triggered protests, bund=
hs, morchas and rasta rokos here these past two days.=20
The government managed to bulldoze the City of Panaji Corporation Bill 2002=
through in the Goa House late on Monday night. But it is unlikely that the=
bill's notification will see a facile passage, going by the host of protes=
ts from affected panchayats.
Suspicions have been roused over Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's real mot=
ives in springing the bill in the backhanded manner it was done. Mr Parrika=
r argues that with the growth of urban agglomerates around Panjim, a counci=
l lacked the teeth to provide civic services. "A corporation has a lot of p=
owers and can deliver." The bill, fashioned on the London Burrough Council =
Act, would make the system more efficient, he says, and promises that "genu=
ine" objections will be considered.
What has annoyed the Opposition though, is that the new Bill seeks to appro=
priate panchayats from Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) consti=
tuencies into the corporation (four Congress and one NCP MLA would be affec=
ted), even as it attempts to reconvert existing Panjim municipal areas to a=
panchayat to appease the BJP's ally the United Goans Democratic Party (UGD=
P).
"This is nothing short of political vendetta and has been done to undermine=
the population of the village panchayats. Where was the need to bring the =
Bill through in such a hurry? Neither the panchayats concerned or the PMC h=
ave moved a resolution asking for this," says Congress spokesman Jitendra D=
eshprabhu.
Deputy CLP leader Dayanand Narvekar sees a design far more sinister in the =
BJP move. He alleges that Mr Parrikar, who is the MLA for Panjim, would be =
keen to add the 8,000-odd voters from the Porvorim-Succor area to the Panji=
m constituency, because a sizeable chunk of them are RSS supporters. These =
voters are at present in Mr Narvekar's Aldona constituency.
Senior government officials also confirm that the process of framing munici=
pal wards is already on. They agree that restructuring the wards at this po=
int would give the ruling party a distinct advantage at the next civic elec=
tion.
Quite apart from the political arguments, conservationists in Goa too are m=
ounting their defences against the move to convert Panjim into a large corp=
oration, which would increase real estate prices (with increased FAR) and t=
hreaten the city's character. "Dislocating Panjim to Porvorim would be disa=
strous," says heirtage historian Percival Noronha.
"Progress is inevitable. Few would cavil at the improvements in the lives o=
f the majority that recent developments have brought. But only the most ins=
ensitive philistine could fail to hope that in the future, enough of the ol=
d charm of Panjim will remain to enable posterity to recapture the essence =
of her 1000 years of history." The Princess of Mandovi is under threat, he =
says.
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