In a development village panchayat representa tives described as deeply iron ic, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho has found himself at the centre of a Statewide backlash after questioning how gram sabhas could op pose housing projects that have already secured approv als from various government authorities. For critics, the controver sy goes far beyond a single statement. They say the Min ister’s remarks expose the government’s continuing attempt to reduce elected village panchayats and gram sabhas to ceremonial bodies while real planning powers steadily shift to bureaucratic departments. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Panjim on Monday, Godinho questioned how gram sab has could object to projects when applicants had already obtained all statutory per missions from government authorities.
The remarks triggered an immediate and united re sponse from sarpanchs, panchayat members and legal ex perts across Goa, many accusing the very Minister respon sible for safeguarding panchayats of defending a system that sidelines them. Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira challenged the Minister’s interpretation of the law, saying, “Let his (the Panchayats Minister’s) statement come in black and white. The government can issue a circular or an order, but that is not an Act. Under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, the village panchayat is the final approving authority.” Drawing from Calangute’s own legal battles, Sequeira pointed out that the panchayat had successfully defended its authority before the Supreme Court after the govern ment sought to override its powers. “The Calangute panchayat had approached the Supreme Court against an order of the government, and the Court upheld our position that the Goa Panchayat Raj Act is clear that only the village panchayat has the authority to grant approval.” He said the village had recently rejected six applications for construction licences despite the Town and Country Planning Department approving projects with an FAR of 200. “Recently, we received six applications for construction li cences with TCP Department approval for an FAR of 200, all of which we rejected. Under the Regional Plan, our permis sible FAR is 80. We have to consider whether we have the in frastructure and carrying capacity to support such projects.
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For that, we have initiated a carrying capacity study.” He added that one of the applicants had secured a stay from the Directorate of Panchayats, prompting the village panchayat to challenge the order before the district court. Senior advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho said the Minis ter’s legal position was technically correct, but incomplete. “The Minister had told the House two years ago that a carrying capacity study would be conducted. No steps have been taken. People react because of such inaction. Techni cally, the Minister is correct. Gram Sabhas are not author ities over individual cases. But the village panchayat has to take into account the needs of the village, including its basic infrastructure and essential services. Gram Sabhas deserve to be strengthened with greater powers and car rying capacity must be determined. Until then, there has to be a halt.” His observations echoed a concern raised by several stakeholders—that successive governments had failed to establish carrying-capacity benchmarks while continuing to clear large-scale developments, leaving local communi ties to deal with the consequences. Advocate Hrudaynath Shirodkar alleged that the Minis ter’s remarks reflected a broader policy direction. “Gram Sabhas are supreme. The government has al ready diluted the powers of village panchayats, and the Panchayat Minister’s latest statement indicates its inten tion to weaken them even further.
By amending the Goa Panchayat Raj Act to vest more powers in panchayat secre taries, the government is undermining the system of local self-governance.” Advocate Surel Tilve said gram sabhas have a statutory mandate to deliberate on development proposals affecting their villages. “Gram Sabhas have the statutory authority to deliberate on developmental issues affecting their respective villages and to oppose projects they believe could adversely impact the village’s character, dynamics and socio-economic fab ric.” Tilve also criticised the amendment introducing the deeming provision under Section 66 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act. “The government has already diluted the powers of village panchayats by amending Section 66 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act and introducing a deeming provision, which allows an applicant to approach the Block Develop ment Officer if the sarpanch fails to decide on a permission application within 15 days. Any further move to transfer powers from elected panchayat bodies to panchayat sec retaries would further weaken grassroots democracy and local self-governance.” Latambarcem Sarpanch Dr Rama Gaonkar said village panchayats, rather than distant government departments, were best placed to decide whether villages could sustain additional development. “Village panchayats should have greater authority to de cide on mega housing projects.
The government is granting construction licences without adequately assessing local needs or the carrying capacity of villages.” Dr Gaonkar said officials conducting training pro grammes for elected panchayat members had informed them that if 60 per cent of a village’s population attended a gram sabha and passed a resolution opposing a project, the proposal should be rejected. “Such powers must be vested with village panchayats.” Echoing similar concerns, Varca panch Solon Furtado said the erosion of panchayat authority had been gradual but deliberate. “It is true that panchayats have slowly but surely been reduced to toothless bodies. Instead of strengthening them, successive changes over the years have steadily diluted their powers.” He said panchayat decisions rejecting projects were rou tinely overridden by higher authorities. “Unfortunately, decisions taken by panchayats to reject new projects have often been overridden by higher au thorities, which grant permissions on the grounds that the Gram Sabha or panchayat has no authority to withhold such approvals. This has significantly weakened the role of local self-governance.” Furtado also described the deeming provision as imprac tical and another attempt to strip elected local bodies of their authority.
Sarzora panch Sabita Mascarenhas said planning deci sions should rest with the people who live in the affected villages rather than officials sitting in government offices. “Of course, the Gram Sabha should be supreme. Panchayat members are elected by the same Gram Sabha to protect the interests of the village. The TCP Department sits in offices and grants permissions. The Gram Sabha should decide on multi-dwelling projects in its own village, and the panchayat should stand with the villagers.” She also called for the full implementation of the powers envisaged under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment and the Eleventh Schedule.
Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz argued that the present planning framework runs contrary to the constitutional vi sion of democratic decentralisation. “At present, planning decisions that directly affect our villages are largely taken by the Town and Country Plan ning Department, while Village Panchayats and Gram Sab has have only a limited say.” He proposed the creation of a Village and Country Plan ning Department under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act to pre pare village development plans, maintain village land-use records, provide technical support to panchayats and ensure that no major planning decision affecting a village is taken without consulting the village panchayat and gram sabha.
As criticism mounted from across Goa’s panchayat sys tem, the political irony was difficult to miss. The strongest defence of village self-governance came not from the de partment responsible for protecting panchayats, but from the elected representatives and legal experts who accused the government of steadily shifting authority away from the very institutions the Panchayat Raj system was created to empower.
