Team Goemkarponn
ZUARINAGAR: Cortalim Congress leader Mahesh Nadar has demanded the resignation of Cortalim MLA Anton Vas as chairman of the Zuarinagar cyclone shelter home committee, alleging that delays in repairing non-functional toilets have caused inconvenience to women and children using the premises for various functions.
Nadar submitted a representation to the Sancoale Panchayat secretary on Tuesday, seeking time-bound repairs and improved maintenance of the facility. He had earlier raised the issue in the media.
According to Nadar, he was informed that the responsibility for maintaining the cyclone shelter premises rested with the committee headed by Vas, while the panchayat had no role in collecting fees for functions held at the venue.
He said the panchayat had taken up the matter with the shelter home committee following his media statements. The panchayat secretary, who also serves as the committee’s member secretary, had reportedly issued notices and convened a meeting on October 15 to discuss the issue.
Nadar claimed that the panchayat had clarified that it did not receive any financial benefit from the fees collected for events at the shelter home. A scanner had also been installed to facilitate online payments for the convenience of local residents, he said.
Alleging that the committee had accumulated around Rs 10 lakh in funds that remained unutilised for the maintenance of the premises, Nadar questioned the delay in restoring basic facilities.
He said the panchayat had reportedly initiated steps to address the problem by inviting bids for plumbing works and the installation of new water taps in the toilets. However, the proposed repairs could not proceed without approval from the committee, he alleged.
Nadar claimed that the proposal was to be discussed at the October 15 meeting, but Vas did not attend, leaving the proposed maintenance works on hold.
Questioning the collection of fees while the toilets remained unusable, Nadar demanded that the premises be made available free of charge until the repairs were completed.
“If people are being charged fees to use the premises, they must be provided with basic facilities. Women and children should not have to suffer because the toilets are not functional,” he said, urging the panchayat to suspend charges for functions until the problem was resolved.
Nadar further said Vas should step down as chairman on moral grounds if he was unable to attend meetings or approve proposals necessary for maintaining the facility.
The allegations regarding the committee’s funds, the delay in repairs and the MLA’s absence from the meeting were made by Nadar. Vas’s response to the allegations was not included in the information provided.
