Questions arise about stop-gap appointment of burdened officer with dual charge of municipalities to oversee poll process
The Administrator of Comunidades building in South Goa, a symbol of stalled reforms due to administrative red tape.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MARGAO
Elections for the Comunidade bodies in the South Goa zone kick off on December 8, with the election process spread over the next two months. However, the absence of a full-fledged Administrator to head the South Goa Comunidades has cast a shadow in the run-up to the forthcoming elections.
South Goa Administrator of Comunidades Mangaldas Gaonkar has proceeded on two weeks' leave starting Monday. The charge of South Goa Communidade Administrator has been handed over to Cuncolim Municipal Chief Officer John Fernandes.
What is important to note is that John is currently holding an additional charge of the Curchorem Municipal Council, besides Cuncolim, raising questions about whether the election process can be managed by an officer holding two charges as Chief Officer of the Municipal Councils of Cuncolim and Curchorem.
Questions are being raised in the corridors of the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex, South, as to why the charge of the South Goa Administrator of Comunidades was not handed over to any of the Deputy Collectors functioning from the South Goa Collectorate after the incumbent Administrator proceeded on leave.
“Instead of overburdening the work of an officer holding two charges of Municipal Councils, the government ought to have handed over the charge of the office of South Goa Administrator of Comunidades to any of the seven Deputy Collectors functioning from the South Goa Collectorate,” remarked a senior officer.
Components of Comunidades are upset over the absence of the regular Administrator of Comunidades South Zone in the run-up to the crucial elections. Attorney of Margao Comunidade, Celestin Noronha, told 'The Goan' that the presence of the Administrator is very much required in the office in the run-up to the elections for the Comunidade bodies. “Incumbent South Goa Comunidade Administrator Mangaldas Gaonkar has been insisting that transfers of shares are effected right in his presence. Mangaldas has now proceeded on leave and we have not seen any officer in the Comunidade office to date in his place,” he said.
President of Margao Comunidade Savio Correia echoed similar sentiments. “Right now, we have no idea who is holding the additional charge of South Goa Administrator of Comunidades. Even assuming that John Fernandes has been told to hold the additional charge of the office, we doubt whether an officer already holding charge of the two Municipal Councils of Cuncolim and Curchorem will be able to do justice to the job in the run-up to the Comunidade elections,” Correia said.
Sources pointed out that John Fernandes has assumed additional charge of South Goa Administrator of Comunidades, as evidenced by the fact that he has already issued a corrigendum postponing the scheduled elections to the Comunidades of Margao, Verna, and Cotombi to January next year.
Questions, however, are being raised as to whether John will be able to do justice to the job at the Administrator of Comunidade office when his presence is much required at the Cuncolim and Curchorem Municipal Councils daily.
Initiative to streamline comunidade administration stalled by red tape
The South Goa District Collector’s initiative to streamline the functioning of the Administrator of Comunidades seems to have been stalled by administrative red tape.
Upon directions issued by the outgoing District Collector, Asvin Chandru, a follow-up meeting was held on August 23 with the Administrator of Comunidades to address the issues plaguing Comunidades in South Goa.
The South Goa Comunidades Forum, however, has lamented that despite two months having elapsed, most of the crucial decisions still await implementation.
Citing the instance of the status of staff and officials in the office of the Administrator of Comunidades, the Forum pointed out that, inter alia, the Administrator of Comunidades was required to notify and finalise fixed timings for all staff during the month and for the chart to be displayed on the notice board in advance for the convenience of the public. Additionally, the staff's attendance in the Administrator’s office was to be recorded on a biometric system. “To our knowledge, neither of the foregoing has been acted upon by the Administrator,” the Forum said.
On the status of Office Records, the Forum said that it was decided that old records in the archive of the office of the Administrator of Comunidades would be digitised. For this, the Administrator of Comunidades was supposed to move a proposal to the Directorate of Archives & Archaeology for digitisation and the safety of the old records.
Secondly, the Forum pointed out that the Collector’s suggestion to bring encroachments and other cases pending before the Administrator of Comunidades South Zone under the e-court monitoring system was unanimously accepted. The Forum, however, pointed out that the Administrator has not acted upon these suggestions.
As far as the status of the building of the Administrator of Comunidades South Zone is concerned, the Forum pointed out that it was decided that the Administrator of Comunidades would follow up on the repairs proposal with the PWD. Further, the Administrator was directed to take steps to evict all unlawful occupants in the building under the Public Premises Act, the Forum said but lamented that nothing has been done by the Administrator of Comunidades in this regard.
Regarding complaints, the Forum recalled the directions issued by the District Collector to take up the demolition drive after the monsoons with effect from November 1, 2024. “The Comunidades had agreed to extend the required financial support. However, we have not received any intimation from the Administrator of Comunidades or the Demolition Squad in the Collectorate concerning the estimated cost of demolition,” remarked Margao Comunidade president Savio Correia.
