MARGAO
Dozens of citizens returned home disappointed as internet services in the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) were down throughout Monday.
MMC officials are keeping their fingers crossed over the resumption of services, including the issuance of birth and death certificates, besides payment of house tax, on Tuesday as the faulty item is required to be procured from Panaji.
Huge queues of people were seen at the birth and death section, with citizens standing in the line since morning, only to return home disappointed after being informed that the internet services are down.
A resident of Cansaulim, Reagan told the media that he had come to MMC to collect the birth certificate at around 10 am, only to be told by the staff that the internet is not working.
When The Goan contacted MMC Chief Officer Manuel Barretto to shed light on the issue, he said the internet services were down due to a faulty device, adding that the services should be hopefully restored on Tuesday after procuring it from Panaji.
The Shadow Council for Margao was quick to slam the Margao civic body for the situation. SCM Convenor Savio Coutinho said Monday morning proved to be a bad beginning of the new week, as the Margao Municipal Council was cut-off from the internet.
“While dozens of people stood standing in the lines at the different counters, the staff manning the counters had no clue whatsoever about how to restore the internet connection,” he said.
He added: “Initially, it was presumed that the server was down. I called up the NIC, only to confirm that it was an internet issue and not with the server."
Coutinho said that the functioning of the municipality is in such a mess that hardly anyone is in a position to figure out corrective measures, or whom to contact in such emergencies. "The people continued to stay in the lines for nearly two hours, hoping that the system would be restored, while all the officials were blank, not knowing what to do", Coutinho lamented.
After it was confirmed by us that the system was unlikely to be restored, he said they advised the people not to stay there unnecessarily, he added.
He has hoped that the Chief Officer and the Chairperson coordinate with the agency as it appears that the system may not get back on track even by tomorrow evening.
Criticising the municipality for using taxpayers' money to fulfil political obligations and employing the kin of the councillors, he said the MMC has failed to find it necessary to engage someone with knowledge of computers and the internet.
