MARGAO: Inordinate delay in amending the Panchayati Raj Act is emboldening the panchayat members to do what is not mandated in the law with impunity as the law does not provide for any punitive action against them.
For example the Panchayat Raj Act states that the panchayats shall hold four ordinary gram sabhas on any Sundays of January, April, July and October. However, the law does not say anything about what action will be taken if the gram sabha is not held.
Taking advantage of this loophole, for the second time the Cana Benaulim Panchayat has not held the regular gram sabha it was due to hold in October. Incidentally, last year too Cana Benaulim panchayat did not have one regular gram sabha and no action was taken against it.
Salcete Block Development Officer Amitesh Shirvoikar admitted that the law is silent on this matter and hence they cannot take any action. “The only thing I can do is report it to the Director of Panchayat,” he said adding that last year, too, the matter was reported to the director.
Not having regular gram sabha denies the villagers the right to raise issues pertaining to development of their village as these matters can be discussed only at the regular gram sabhas and special or extra-ordinary gram sabhas have a fixed agenda that does not include developmental works.
While this is one issue vexing the people, there is another problem particularly when the post of sarpanch is reserved for women. The lady candidate does not get anybody to either propose or second and hence cannot be elected.
As a result the deputy sarpanch continues to rule the roost and lords over the panchayat. Although this has not happened this year in any of the 30 panchayats of Salcete, last panchayat bodies there were some who functioned for a long time without a sarpanch.
