MARGAO: Local residents of Sarzora have called upon the village panchayat to promptly address the issue of stray cattle following a recent accident on the Sarzora-Guddi road, resulting in a tragic death of a youth. A speeding car first hit a stray cown and then collided with the victim’s two-wheeler.
This issue came up at the gram sabha meeting. The locals emphasised upon the need for the panchayat to identify suitable land for a cattle pound. However, Sarpanch Leona Fernandes responded that the panchayat currently lacks available land for such a facility. She noted that the panchayat as it is facing difficulty in identifying land to set up a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) shed in the village and similarly has been facing issues in securing land space for setting up a cattle pound in the village.
Responding to some demands about putting up the cattle pound near the panchayat, she explained that this would not be practical given the frequent renting of the hall, which would then create logistical issues if the cattle pound was located so close to the hall.
There have been many accidents in and around the village due to the stray cattle issue and this has been a long pending demand of the local residents. Similar demands have been made by residents of neighbouring villages with their respective panchayats.
The villagers also demanded that the panchayat supply garbage collection bags to the residents and pointed out to the fact that they pay an annual fee to the panchayat for the waste collection.
The Sarpanch explained that the funds collected are insufficient due to a lack of government support, making it unfeasible for the panchayat to provide the bags. This prompted a lengthy discussion among villagers, who passionately called for an enhanced garbage collection system from the panchayat.
While speaking to media persons about the meeting, she addressed this issue and said each bag costs Rs 20, and due to insufficient funds, the panchayat cannot provide them to every household in the village.
