With just months remaining before the term of the zilla panchayats comes to an end, there would have been some seriousness expected from the South district panchayat members who met for their regular meeting, but the only time that the members showed some measure of earnestness in the discussions was when the debate came up on the possibility of publishing a souvenir that would list out the works of the zilla panchayat member in each constituency. For this members have been requested to forward the details of works taken up so that the souvenir can be published before the current term expires. One certainty here is that the members will take this seriously, but then, what about other pressing matters that the ZPs should have taken up during their term?
This is a reflection of the manner in which the zilla panchayats function in the State – they are neither serious nor are they taken seriously. The zilla panchayats today are nothing but a constitutional formality, serving little purpose. They exist because the Constitution mandates a two-tier Panchayati Raj system for small States like Goa, and so there is the village panchayat and the district panchayat. Zilla panchayats are mandated with just a few developmental works, so their role turns mainly supervisory in nature. Though the 73rd amendment to the Constitution provides for a number of functions and duties to the ZPs, they may not all be feasible in Goa given the small size, besides many of the powers have never been devolved to the district bodies. In addition, they have no means of raising finances, depending entirely on grants from the government. There is not even a separate fund for them, their only source of own income comes from the sale of tender forms, whenever these are sold. For any development work they have to approach the Panchayat Department or Minister.
Zilla panchayat elections in the past have only served to gauge the support that the ruling dispensation of the day has in the State. They have also acted as a stepping stone for a number of MLAs, who made it to the Legislative Assembly via the ZP route. This is one reason why demands from the ZPs that the grants from the government be released regularly have not been readily met, as MLAs fear that the ZP members could turn challengers at the time of Legislative Assembly elections. This clash between the MLA and the ZP member is another reason why the zilla panchayats have for long remained toothless bodies.
Before the next zilla panchayat election in the State that is due in a few months, Goa needs to relook into the issue and determine whether such a district body is necessary for the State, or whether it can be replaced by a a taluka-level arrangement. There have been suggestions of this earlier, with panchayati raj activists pointing out that in the past – during the Portuguese perod before panchayats were introduced – Goa’s administration was always at the taluka level, with each taluka having a municipality. The suggestion is that the taluka panchayats could have each village from the taluka elect a representative to this body, which would take up development projects, effectivley replacing the zilla panchayat.
Before Goa heads to another ZP election, a question that needs to be answered is whether these institutions can change the lives of the people. Currently, whehter it is a district level panchayat or a village panchayat, the undeniable fact is that the spirit of panchayati raj in Goa has been missing. Unless this spirit of democracy at the grassroots takes root in the State, such institutions will remain as mere constitutional requirments, serving little purpose.
