TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Aquem-Baixo village panchayat witnessed uproar for the second day today over cleaning of storm water drains by the panchayat body as panch member Damu Naik took strong exception to the work in his ward No 1.
Damu made his presence felt in his ward on Wednesday afternoon after the panchayat body headed by Sarpanch Sharon Quadros deployed workers since morning to clean up the drains. A visibly disturbed Damu contended that the Panchayat never told him that the storm water drain in his ward would be taken up for desilting. “I am per se not opposed to any work in the wards. But, I am opposed to any work without taking the local ward member into confidence. You cannot take along by taking defeated candidates. Members of Mahila mandals have no role to play when there are elected Panch members”, he said
However, unlike Tuesday, work on the site continued as Damu maintained that he has come at the site only to ascertain the agency and the persons doing the work without his knowledge.
Sarpanch Sharon, however, told the media that the deputy Sarpanch had informed Panch Damu to take the workers in his ward and complete the de-silting work, but in vain. “Since the Panch did not take the labourers, I decided to send the workers in Ward No 1. I had no other option since the Panchayat had to complete work on the desilting work in view of the outbreak of malaria in the village”, Sharon told the media at the site.
She pointed out that the workers were made available to the Panchayat body by local MLA and Fisheries Minister, Avertano Furtado in the wake of outbreak of malaria in the village.
