Parrikar holds meeting of Goa govt officers at his residence

Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Saturday held a meeting with government officers at his private residence near here and directed them to expedite completion of pending works.

The meeting was to take stock of various projects, including construction of a third bridge on the Mandovi river, a senior official told PTI.

Parrikar had earlier held a cabinet meeting on October 31 and met party officials the next day.

"Parrikar has asked the officers to expedite the process to fill vacancies in various government departments and set up a deadline," said the official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Vacancies in various departments of the state government lie unfulfilled since the last two years.

The process of employment has been put on hold since the last nine months due to Parrikar's illness which prevented him from attending office.

He said the chief minister also took stock of the solid waste collection and discussed overall bottlenecks in governance arising out of his physical absence from office.

Parrikar also discussed the financial aspects of various projects and gave instructions to officers concerned, he said.

Parrikar, 62, has been recuperating at his private residence since October 14, when he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

The Congress has been demanding a "full-time" chief minister for the state in place of Parrikar.

Last week, hundreds of people, including some Congress leaders, had marched to Parrikar's residence, demanding his resignation and a "full-time" chief minister.