MARGAO: Finally, the village panchayat of Sao Jose de Areal has set a date to convene their gram sabha, which was pending for the past few months. Local sources predict that the meet will turn stormy, with the irked villagers preparing an arsenal of questions for the panchayat body, pertaining to various issues bothering them.
The ordinary gram sabha meeting will be held on April 2 at the Multipurpose Community Hall, Sao Jose de Areal, wherein the budget for the financial year 2023-24 will be presented before the villagers.
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As per the meeting notice issued by Sarpanch Linda Fernandes, topics regarding developmental proposals will be also discussed.
It may be recalled that a few days ago, the locals, angered with the panchayat’s delay in convening the gram sabha for their village, had threatened to lock their elected representatives inside the panchayat office, if they failed to organise the meeting immediately.
The villagers had even met the Block Development Officer at Margao and demanded action against the panchayat body for failing to hold the gram sabha. “How can the panchayat body function without discussing the issues of the village with us, the residents?” they questioned, demanding efficiency and transparency for their elected representatives.
According to the villagers, this is not the first time that the panchayat has failed to call for a gram sabha; this tardiness was witnessed in the past as well.
It is pertinent to note that Nimisha S Fal Dessai, BDO, had directed several village panchayats of Salcete including Sao Jose De Areal to hold their gram sabhas immediately as they had failed to convene them in January. Thereafter, the Sao Jose De Areal panchayat again failed to hold the meeting on February 26.
