Friday 24 August 2007

DEAR MR AGNELO A PRIMER IS NEVER PASSE...

Hey… Did you see that… What’s happening here? Stories are no longer being puked from the Margao dateline in The Navhind Times, they are actually being written.
Ok ok ok… We know what’s happened… Former chief sub from the Herald Agnelo Pereira (he’s the same guy, who the Herald bosses among other folk believe authors this blog… some more imagination guys… come on) has apparently joined The Navhind Times (hey… how bout you guys sending penpricks posts on any guys switching jobs or new guys being recruited in the Goan media? Possible?) and is based in Margao. This copy is refreshingly different from the Shyam Zambaulikar and Minoo Fernandes’ thrash in terms of style. But lets take a finer look at the content.

You know this guy’s stories are often as outspoken as this bugger is. So they tend to shoot off a bit sometimes… Take a look at this now. We know what he wants to say here… But that’s no excuse for writing something like this, ‘A THING OF PASSE’ what’s this Mr Agnelo? A thing of the passé? What was the local desk doing now? Watch your work Roger…

The story just about looks the kind of a story filed by a newcomer to a beat. The sort of story you file when you are trying to find your feet. Meeting people… giving them this sort of an impression… ‘Hey, I am new here… Lets see you help me out with some stories man’. If a guy with a two-year experience on a particular beat, writes a story like that and you can be rest assured it’s a plug… (check out Herald’s Guilerhme Almeida’s stories or interviews with Churchill Alemao and you’ll know what plugs from Margao are), but this guy Agnelo is new out there and he’s no plugger. Take our word for it.

But overall he’s been too kind to the Margao chief officer with quotes like

“My aim is to serve the citizens of Margao to the best of my ability,” an affable Mr Agrawal said after finishing with his officers.

“I want to streamline the administration and make it people friendly,” he said, matter of factly.

“I want to provide quick, easy service and facilities to the public,” Mr Agarwal said.

These are the sort of quotes mouthed by Miss India aspirants.

Like we said, he's really been too kind for our liking.



http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=082335
Clean Margao, quick service to public is CO’s mantra
NT News Service
Margao, Aug 22 The news of his transfer to this commercial city was acrimonious to say the least, but the new Margao municipal council chief officer, Mr N D Agrawal claims to have the interest of Margao residents at heart.
It is less then a week that he has taken charge of his new job. But when this reporter visited his office, the man was huddled with his officers; in the midst of explaining stuff and issuing instructions.
“My aim is to serve the citizens of Margao to the best of my ability,” an affable Mr Agrawal said after finishing with his officers.
Clearing the city of garbage is high up on the agenda of the CO, who was formerly holding charge as director of the social welfare department.
According to the CO, his officers have identified around 10 to 15 spots where garbage heap have sprung up around the city.
“We will clear these spots, which have become eyesores,” the CO said.
This exercise will be in addition to the daily routine of garbage collection and disposal undertaken by the municipality employees.
Simultaneously, Mr Agrawal, who has the reputation of sticking to the rulebook, has also made his intention clear; he will sweep his own backyard clean.
“I want to streamline the administration and make it people friendly,” he said, matter of factly.
That means, “red tape” will be a thing of passé and ‘transparency’ and ‘efficiency’ are set be the key words at the Margao municipality. “I want to provide quick, easy service and facilities to the public,” Mr Agarwal said.
He acknowledged the general tendency amongst the public to get things done by bending and at times even ignoring the law.
“Make legal things easier so people won’t do illegal things,” was Mr Agarwal’s solution to this.
The CO is aware that his entry to the municipality was not smooth but vowed to work in tandem with the chairperson and the council for the good of the aam aadmi.
The MMC chairperson, Mr Johnson Fernandes and some of his colleagues were guarded in their reaction on the new CO, but the coldness towards the new officer was palpable.
“We are yet to interact with the chief officer,” one senior councillor said.
The chairperson said he was ready to do business with the new CO. “If his plans are good for the general public, the council will definitely back them, the chairperson said.
Former chairperson and present councillor, Mr Savio Coutinho was of the opinion that at times, one needs to overlook rules, especially in an office which caters to the public.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This Agnelo bugger is oft' featured. Could you guys post a pic of the chap.
Want to see what he looks like (even an old pic will do).

24 August 2007 at 09:42  
Blogger Pen Pricks said...

hi... you see we aren't lovers... Hence no photographs... But if you do wanna see him, try cafe prakash, near Azad maidan sometimes... you can even buy him black coffee

24 August 2007 at 10:08  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does Mr. Agnelo chat with all COs on joining? Why Agarwal?

Why do these media guys feature only 4 to 5 officers? something very very fishy...

Come on Mr. Agnelo, to be fair to everyone why don't you start on a floor by floor basis,of say Junta House, interviewing all the main officers of each department.

Can you Mr. Agnelo say that you have interviewed all the COs of all the municipalities in say the last few years? Why not?

24 August 2007 at 10:29  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey..Agnelo, Mr Savio Coutinho told you "one needs to overlook rules, especially in an office which caters to the public"

Mr. Agnelo please inform the public which rules of the municipality are being overlooked. People should not waste their time adhering to rules if they are being overlooked.

How could you Mr. Agnelo 'overlook' this trash from Mr. Coutinho.

24 August 2007 at 11:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi.. this is anon 1,... That's one crowded place. How do I spot him? What does he look like?

24 August 2007 at 11:33  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

penpricks: Margao based Agnelo has his coffee at Cafe Prakash in Panaji.

Has Margao run out of coffee beans? :)

24 August 2007 at 15:17  
Blogger Pen Pricks said...

Anon 1: Hey... you could ask? ;)
Anon 4: Good one... Keep writing

24 August 2007 at 20:55  

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