TEAM HERALD
“I had issued the directions to the panchayat secretary to convene a meeting on Sunday. But instead of convening the gram sabha meeting, my office order was placed before the Curtorim panchayat body meeting last week, wherein the panchayat had rejected the directions to hold the gram sabha yesterday”, Mardolkar said.
Asked whether the panchayat Secretary has defied his directions by not convening the gram sabha meeting yesterday, Mardolkar said, “I had specifically asked the panchayat secretary to convene the meeting, which was not complied with”, adding that he would forward a report to the panchayat director on Tuesday on the status of the gram sabha meeting and the panchayat secretary’s failure to comply with his
directions.
The BDO’s directions to the panchayat secretary to convene the gram sabha on August 31 was based on the report submitted by his observer deputed for the August 10 gram sabha meeting, stating that the gram sabha was abruptly ended by the acting sarpanch Simon Barretto.
The BDO observer’s contention has been supported by the gram sabha members, who maintained that the acting sarpanch ended the meeting abruptly.
The acting sarpanch and the panchayat body, however, said the meeting was concluded as per the business agenda set for the meeting.
Sunday saw a large number of Curtorim villagers turning up at the panchayat ghar to attend the gram sabha as directed by the Salcete BDO, only to find the panchayat office locked.
