Team Herald
MARGAO: Stung by two crimes in their village committed by migrants, Betalbatim Gram Sabha today resolved to issue identity cards to all migrants living in the village.
Replying to a question on security arrangements made at the beaches in the village, Sarpanch Constancio Miranda said the panchayat had submitted a memorandum to the Collector on security measures to be taken up and added that they have been in touch with the police investigating the infamous gang rape incident.
The villagers pointed out that the gang rape was committed by migrants and said the murder of a person from Colva at the same place in the village was also committed by a migrant. Besides, one villager pointed out that a migrant who had died in the village was hurriedly buried without following the proper procedure.
The Sarpanch informed the villagers that the panchayat had asked the police for a copy of all the stranger form filled to register the migrants from the village. “Once the police give us this we shall issue a separate identify card for the migrants residing in our village,” he said.
Viola Pacheco who had raised the issue of the burial of a migrant in a hurried manner without following the proper procedure was advised to file a criminal complaint against the secretary who she alleged had issued a death certificate based on false doctor’s certificate even as she insisted that migrants think they can get away with anything because the panchayat is not stringent with them.
The Sarpanch also assured the villagers that they had sent the proposal for asphalting the interior roads in the village while thanking the local MLA for hot-mixing the roads in the village. The villagers wondered why the church square that is used by most people was not asphalted first.
Replying to a question on the delay in conducting the gram sabha he said they were busy preparing the Gram Panchayat Development Plan which he said will be presented to the villagers at the next gram sabha.
Villagers had given various suggestions in writing which were taken up and some of the issues discussed were the problems faced by the farmers and the panchayat was advised to prepare temporary passages to fields to allow farmer to take machinery there for mechanized agriculture.
The panchayat was asked to felicitate three farmers in the village who still plough their fields manually and also to encourage paddy cultivation.
The Sarpanch informed that the panchayat has been given permission to run a fair price shop in the village and assured that the same would commence shortly.
It was also resolved to invite the Medical Officer of Health Centre at Cansaulim for the gram sabha to be held in January 2019 to present a health report of the village while the Police Officer was to be invited for the October 2018 gram sabha to present a report on law and order in the village.
It was also resolved to ask the police to conduct special programmes for student particularly higher secondary school students on safety and how to react whenever they are attacked by unknown persons.
