VASCO
State NCP President Jose Philip D'Souza on Wednesday questioned the State government’s decision in appointing “outsiders” as chairpersons to the Mormugao Planning Development Authority (MPDA) who reside at a great distance from Mormugao.
“Is the MPDA formed only to accommodate and satisfy the demands of BJP legislators, especially from outside the Mormugao Taluka and how will an outsider do justice in resolving various MPDA-related issues faced by the people in Mormugao taluka,” asked D’Souza while addressing a news conference in Vasco.
"In the past, former Cuncolim MLA Clafasio Dias was accommodated and made MPDA Chairman and now, there is news that Mapusa BJP MLA Joshua D’Souza will be made the MPDA Chairman. Why has the government not appointed a local leader or even a well-known architect from Mormugao taluka as MPDA chairperson?”
“How will an outsider know about local issues or the topography of the taluka and why will an outsider bother about us when he has his own constituency to look at? I doubt that an outsider will even have the interest to take up development or improve our situation through MPDA,” said D’Souza.
D’Souza said a local person would understand issues better and bring about improvement in the city and also take up local development and resolve major issues.
D'Souza said it was not the fault of Joshua D’Souza to have accepted the government’s offer and said he had nothing against the Mapusa MLA, but only wanted to place his suggestion before the government.
"It appears that this institution is only meant to adjust legislators and the real purpose of having the MPDA has failed due to such adjustments. There is no law that says an outsider cannot be the chairman of MPDA, but I feel that when the government is accommodating someone on a vital organisation like the MPDA, a local leader could do more justice to the post,” D’Souza added.
