MARGAO, JUNE 27
Sao Jose de Areal gram sabha members on Sunday resorted to Gandhigiri by offering the Sarpanch Liberata Travasso a flower bouquet for getting the village youth arrested by the police on a “false” complaint.
At the gram sabha meeting on Sunday, agitated members came in large numbers with placards and vowed to protect the village from destruction. Amidst the discussion on the arrest of the village youth, a woman gram sabha member stood up and walked to the Sarpanch before offering her the bouquet for arresting the youth.
In fact, today’s gram sabha meeting centered on the complaint lodged by the Sarpanch against the village youth, who are members of the gram sabha. Gram sabha members have submitted around 100 questions to the Panchayat on the issue of arrests of the village youth by the Sarpanch.
The members grilled the Sarpanch over her complaint against the village youth, and charged her for supporting mega housing projects and scrap yards.
The gram sabha members also took the Sarpanch to task for not lodging a police complaint against a mega housing builder on the changes made in the survey plan vis-à-vis the approach road.
During discussions, the gram sabha members were informed that the Panchayat has lost cases before the Director of Panchayats on the housing projects, but the members have demanded that the Panchayat challenge the orders by filing an appeal in the High Court.
The meeting also demanded action against a fibre glass unit set up in the village, saying the unit will affect the villagers and contaminate the agricultural fields.
The Sarpanch later told newsmen that though the gram sabha members have charged for lodging a false complaint against the village youth, she stood by the complaints, saying the contents mentioned in the complaint are all facts.
On the accusation that the Panchayat has failed to crack a whip against the scrapyards, the Sarpanch maintained that she has so far removed four scrapyards, adding that the process is on to initiate action against the remaining yards.
Gram sabha member Freddy Travasso said the gram sabha members have demanded immediate action against the fibre glass unit. He claimed that the Panchayat has issued an NOC to set up a workshop, but the owner is operating a fiber glass unit, affecting the residents and polluting the fields.
He accused the Sarpanch for not taking up major issues plaguing the villagers and demanded that the Panchayat go in appeal against the orders of the Panchayat Director of Mega housing projects.
