SATURDAY, MAY 04, 2024
JULIO D’SILVA
julio@herald-goa
margao: For the last 20 years the Zilla Panchayats (ZPs) in Goa have been waiting eagerly for the government to devolve some powers to them so that they can work for the people at the grass root but it has been like waiting for Godot as the government apparently does not wish to devolve any powers fearing their future.
Various chief ministers have said during discussions with ZP members that the playing field being too small and the players being too many, they cannot devolve any powers even the law mandates that the ZP be given 29 powers.
Late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was the only who gave some powers to the ZP; and it was he who came with the term Rural Infrastructure which the ZP could handle and under this maintenance of balwadi, public health centre or sub centre, etc were done by the ZP. However, this has now changed and the ZP is back to depending upon only the funds that they get from the government.
Incidentally, Parrikar for the first time had given the ZP around Rs 1 crore of funds per year to undertake different works which was restricted mostly to constructing or repairing roads and drains. During the last term each ZP constituency got around Rs. 20 lakhs per year.
Nelly Rodrigues who was elected as ZP member in the year 2000 and has served twice as chairperson of South Goa Zilla panchayat, said the government would do well to first give the ZP some engineers so that they can prepare the estimates and also undertake some works instead of waiting for the PWD engineers.
“The ZP members could also be given the responsibility to take the various schemes to the people in the villages as the MLA has no time for that,” she said.
She suggested that instead of Sulabh toilets being done by the PWD, it could be looked after by the ZP members; and similarly, instead of self help groups coming under the Women and Child Department, it could come under the ZP.
Hanzel Fernandes, who has been elected for the first time to the ZP, while admitting he is too new, said the government could give administrative powers, if not financial powers to them.
“We could be given the responsibility to visit government departments particularly in rural areas and check their functioning and see if staff is regular or not,” he said.
However, he said the funds should be dispersed promptly instead of the inordinate delays being experienced right now and said if all work in co-ordination than governance would be smooth in Goa.
Khushali Velip, who has been involved with the ZP since the first elections in 2000, and is now the Deputy Chairperson opined that primary health centres, minor irrigation, government primary schools, rural development agency could be given to the ZPs.
“Earlier, the ZP used to look after this under rural infrastructure but that has now been removed,” he lamented; while Nelly said these powers were taken away only because the ZP members were becoming popular with the works they were doing as it was then becoming visible to the people.
Domnick Gaonkar from Raia who has been associated with ZP for the last three terms, asserted that financial powers were necessary for any development and pointed out that while the MLA cannot visit wards, the panchayat is limited with its budget and can take up only minor works.
“ZP could be given the powers so that we can take up projects in more than one village that will help the constituency,” he said. Nelly pointed out that garbage management could be easily done by the ZP as the whole constituency could have one treatment plant.
Notwithstanding these opinions, Suvarna Tendulkar the new South Goa ZP Chairperson was confident that the government will devolve powers to them. “The government has already decided what powers to give and will announce it in another few days time,” she said.
