TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
PONDA: Unhappy over the functioning of Bhoma-Adcolna Panchayat, where a male deputy sarpanch continues to act as sarpanch ~ a post reserved for women, since the last one year, the State government has warned of action if the sarpanch is not elected in the forthcoming meet.
The date to elect sarpanch is yet to be announced.
It may be recalled that the panchayat elections were held on May 16, 2012, and on May 28 elections were held to elect sarpanch and the deputy sarpanch. Barely three months later, on August 17, 2012, Varsha Naik was ousted in a no-confidence motion. Since then, deputy sarpanch Damodar Naik is the acting sarpanch in the seven-member panchayat, which has two women panchas.
“This is the only panchayat in the State where the deputy sarpanch is the acting sarpanch since the last one year. It is against the constitution and Goa Panchayati Raj Act and government will take action if a woman sarpanch is not elected during the forthcoming meet,” Director of Panchayats Narayan Sawant told Herald.
Three consecutive meetings to elect the sarpanch remained inconclusive as no male panch was willing to second the candidature of the other woman panch Mahima Naik.
On all three occasions, Panch Varsha Naik had proposed Mahima’s candidature for the post of the village sarpanch.
