Team Herald
VALPOI: The newly-elected Dongurli Thane panchayat held its first gram sabha in the newly-built panchayat hall on Sunday, where around 30 villagers, sarpanch, deputy sarpanch and all nine ward panchas were present.
The issues of stray cattle, water shortage, panchayat ground, street lights, mashan bhoomi etc were among the main issues discussed in the gram sabha. However, the panchayat did not take any resolution because of the code of conduct.
The main problem the locals of this panchayat face is stray cattle that sit everywhere and create nuisance. Many accidents have occurred in panchayat area due to stray cattle.
Besides this, a large number stray cattle are also destroying agriculture crops and our Panchayat has totally failed to solve this issue, points out another villager, Manohar Gaonkar, adding that if the panchayat failed to initiate any action we would be forced to hold a morcha, demanding action.
In the rainy season village youth are not able to use the panchayat ground as the rain water makes it impossible to play and villagers raised the issue of filling the low-lying areas with mud.
Besides, during the monsoons the villagers face water shortage and do not get drinking water in Hivrem village, as the PWD water tanker comes only for half an hour everyday and that is not enough. Sometimes we get water after four days, says villager Vasudev Arjun Gawas.
In village Charavane, we need the mashan bhumi and government land is available in our village and have taken the permission of Town and country planning Department, Bicholim and the Forest Department and have even sent the proposal to the government to hand over that land to the panchayat, two years ago, but till now the government have not taken any action on our proposal, another villagers Atmaram Gawas, said.
The electricity department, Valpoi has put LED street lights in our Panchayat area ten days ago, but we see that already some lights are not working, says another villager.
