The tussle between Mayor of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) Surendra Furtado and Commissioner Ajit Roy has been exposed in public wherein the latter has alleged the IAS officer is bypassing him on all major decision.

His anger poured in when Roy constituted Panaji Carnival Committee, on December 15, 2017  appointing Furtado as the Chairman and Deputy Mayor Lata Parekh as the deputy Chairman, without taking any corporators into confidence. The file, it is learnt was sent to the Mayor after all decisions were taken. 

“It is surprising and regrettable that although the Carnival Committee has been constituted by the Commissioner under my Chairmanship, I have not been consulted about the members of the said Committee or any matter connected therewith,” the Mayor said in a Note to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

“Since I am the Citizen of this City besides Mayor of this Urban Local Body, I know better about the celebrations of this Festival and as such the Commissioner should have referred the relevant file to me before issue of this Order. The protocol and office procedure also demands such action from the Commissioner. The attitude of the Commissioner to bypass the Mayor in such cases and other important matters is regretted and it is not in keeping with cordial and workable relations between the heads of this organization to go ahead in future,” he commented.

Furtado also had differences with the former Commissioner Deepak Desai, who he claimed did not take decisions in the interest of the city and the CCP. The CCP’s deputy commissioner Shashank Mani Tripathi, who is also an IAS officer has come under scanner for purchasing an official car wrth Rs 7 lakh approx without consent form the council or the standing committee.