Panaji: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) is displaying a 'stepmotherly treatment' by deliberately ignoring wards where Mayor Rohit Monserrate's candidates were defeated, said corporators from the opposition camp on Monday.
Corporators Leonid Furtado, Jack Sukhija, and Liberta Mendes said that despite sending repeated reminders to the civic body, skylift vehicles meant for trimming precarious or dead branches were not deployed in their wards.
'We are facing a lack of cooperation by the CCP. The main issue is that since March 30, we have not got the skylift vehicle in our wards for even an hour. Why this stepmotherly treatment?' said Furtado, the corporator for ward 7.
Mendes, the corporator for ward 29, said that CCP has failed to remove trees and shrubs that remain fallen along the streets. 'The ward supervisor does not listen to me at all. I have spoken to the commissioner, the deputy mayor but nothing changes,' Mendes said.
Sukhija, the corporator for ward 17, said that despite letters and reminders to the CCP authorities, the opposition camp is being deliberately sidelined. 'We are not being kept in the loop, that is why our request is to keep us in the loop and to ensure that tree trimming machinery is given to us,' said Sukhija.
However, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate refuted the claims made by the three corporators. 'Pre-monsoon works, for example tree trimming, is carried out based on a survey by the forest department. This is a standard procedure. We start this about two months after the forest department gives us a list of dangerous trees and that is currently going on. As of now, tree trimmers have been given in every single ward,' said Monserrate.
He said that he would try to address any miscommunication between the corporators and the civic officials. 'A tree in the private compound of a person is the responsibility of the owner, not the responsibility of the corporation. If a tree is dangerous, get in touch with us, but nobody from that area got in touch with us,' said Monserrate.
