MARGAO: The Paroda gram sabha while approving a surplus budget also resolved to issue a show cause notice to the previous secretary for lapses committed. The gram sabha breaking from the normal routine discussed some matters before reading the minutes of the previous gram sabha.
The gram sabha directed the panchayat to issue a show cause notice to the then secretary to either submit the vouchers which the auditor had found missing failing which the secretary would have to pay the amount mentioned in the vouchers.
Reading out the relevant portion of the audit report, Inacio disclosed that vouchers for an amount of Rs 76,000 being the amount paid to labourers hired on daily wages to cut dangerous trees or plastic collection or plain labour charges were found missing by the auditor for the financial year 2015-16.
As the villagers were not satisfied with the explanation given by the panchayat it was resolved to issue the show cause notice to the then secretary.
Representative of a nongovernmental organization Sangath that has started a mental health clinic in the village two months ago spoke about the clinic and the facilities available there and urged the villagers to spread the message to the family members of any person suffering from mental health.
Sarpanch Inacio Tereza was asked by the villagers to first prepare a concrete proposal for re-assessing the tax on residential house and present it to the next gram sabha for a final decision. The Sarpanch while pointing out that many people had repaired their houses said their house tax however has not been re-assessed.
He appealed to the villagers to voluntarily come forward for the re-assessment and said the alternative would be for the panchayat to carry out a survey to identify which houses need to pay revised house tax. The villagers suggested that first the panchayat prepare a plan of how the tax would be re-assessed and then present it to the people.
The gram sabha also witnessed very noisy scenes with villagers protesting against the illegal conversion of paddy fields into plots which are sold to people to construct residential houses. However, after the noisy scenes the meeting continued.
The gram sabha also approved the budget having a surplus of Rs 13.65 lakhs. While the Income projected was Rs. 74 lakhs the expenditure was projected to be Rs 60.35 lakh.
The budget rightly projected receipt of Rs 5 lakh as garbage collection grant from the government and also expected Rs. 8 lakhs towards tribal welfare as the village has a substantial tribal population. Paroda is one of the few panchayats that taxes people who have leased out their premises on rental basis and for the current year received Rs 32,000 from them.
The major expenses projected in the budget are Rs 2 lakhs each for bush cutting and for clearing of drains and Rs 1.5 lakhs for extension of street lights. And while there is no provision for providing financial assistance to weaker sections, it has provided Rs. 50 thousand for maintenance of the computer.
Incidentally the budget had unexplained expenses amounting to a whopping Rs 1.40 lakhs. Under Others in Sanitation it has provided Rs 5,000, in Public Works provided Rs 50,000, in Social Welfare 25 thousand, in Education & Culture Rs 10,000 and under miscellaneous in Miscellaneous Expenditure it has provided Rs 50,000.
