CHORAO: The Chorao Gram Sabha on Sunday unanimously resolved not to hold any ordinary Gram Sabha till the panchayat calls a special Gram Sabha to discuss the issue of proposed Chorao Bridge.
It was unanimously resolved that the panchayat should call a special Gram Sabha in a month’s time and Chief Minister Laximikant Parsekar, local MLA Anant Shet and other officers concerned should be invited to know the status of the bridge, which was assured by the BJP during the last assembly election.
It was also resolved that special Gram Sabhas, which are conducted on the national and state important days, should be called as usual.
On Sunday, after Secretary Rupesh Halankar read the minutes of the last meeting held on November 9, 2014, the angry villagers sought to know from acting Sarpanch Shambha Kalangutkar why the panchayat did not call a special Gram Sabha to discuss the issue of proposed bridge, when it was passed in the earlier Gram Sabha. There was no satisfactory reply from Kalangutkar.
Former sarpanch Premanand Mahahambre tried to defend the sarpanch and asked the villagers to take a new resolution and a 20-member delegation from Chorao will meet the chief minister at Panjim. However, the villagers turned down his proposal and said that former chief minister Parrikar had assured the bridge and they should visit the island and explain to the villagers why there has been delay to build the bridge.
Later, the convenor of Chorao United Citizen interacted and allowed the sarpanch to pass the minutes of the last meeting.
Two proposals of the villagers were read, but when the secretary tried to write it on the minutes book, he took maximum time, which angered the villagers.
Some women asked the sarpanch why he was occupying the seat of the woman sarpanch when the post of sarpanch was reserved for women and that too on International Women’s Day. The sarpanch said the lady sarpanch was voted out in a no-confidence motion and new lady sarpanch will be elected on March 13. About 15 police personnel from Old Goa police station were present at the panchayat, but no untoward incident took place.
