PANAJI: The meeting of the councillors of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) held on Friday decided to refuse permission to all the religious activities/ functions/ prayers recently introduced in the city, and conducted by erecting temporary sheds along roadside by various communities, in view of a related Supreme Court judgment.

The Mayor, Ms Carolina Po, however, made it clear that the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav celebrated near the Church Square for past many years, would be allowed without any obstruction. A proposal of the council as regards deciding upon various areas in the city as pay parking zones was, however, kept in abeyance due to the Code of Conduct in force because of the by-election in Valpoi constituency. Another proposal to give an extension to the ATO of the Corporation, Mr Joaquim Colaco, who is retiring next month, was also affected by the Code of Conduct.

The Commissioner of the CCP, Mr Elvis Gomes forwarded the proposal to the state chief election officer. Furthermore, the Council decided to provide garbage collection, transportation and disposal services to the village panchayat areas of Taleigao, in exchange for the garbage disposal site provided by the Taleigao village panchayat to the CCP. The funds towards these services would however be reimbursed from the government.

Yet another decision reached by the CCP proposes to pay Rs 28 lakh to Ms S Redkar and Master D Redkar, in a case of a motor-vehicle accident, involving their parents, who died on the spot. The vehicle involved in the accident belonged to the municipality and was incidentally not insured.

The Councillors also supported a proposal, which maintained banning of stalls set up by shopkeepers outside the municipal market during various festivals, to sell fireworks.

A green signal was also given to a proposal for developing the Salvador de Souza Garden located in the city. The meeting witnessed verbal clash between Ms Po and the former Mayor, Mr Tony Rodrigues over the handing of the list of tenants of the new municipal market complex. Mr Rodrigues maintained that he had handed over the list to Ms Po while vacating his chair, but Ms Po refused any such incident. Finally, the Commissioner of the Corporation was directed to find related missing documents within 15 days.

Mr Surendra Furtado, a councillor pointed out that the Corporation has a fund in its coffers, which would be enough to take care of its salaries and other administrative expenses, only for next two months. "How would the Corporation sustain itself, after that," he questioned.