Team Herald
BICHOLIM: Most newly-elected sarpanchas in Bicholim have suggested that employment generation in the panchayat would be their prime priority along with the all-round development of the village.
Many sarpanchas of Bicholim taluka were hopeful that mining sector would help create jobs in the village and companies would give preference to locals.
Mayem sarpanch Vishwas Chodankar said his priority would be to solve the long-pending Mayem evacuee property issue and generating jobs in the region. “The Mayem land issue is still pending and we would follow up the matter. The company has now started operation and we hope in the next few months locals would be absorbed, besides confirming the 40 locals employed there,” he claimed.
Besides construction of the new panchayat building, Gawan ground and Mayem Lake would be other issues the panchayat would take up with earnest.
Pilgao sarpanch Pradeep Naik also hoped mining firms would provide employment opportunities to local youth, while adding that a Mineral Foundation aided waste disposal plant would be set up, besides launching a website exclusively for the panchayat and employ a full-time doctor at the health centre.
Van-Maulinguem-Kudchirem sarpanch Sheetal Sawal was optimistic that they would try to generate jobs with the help of the MLA and work towards other projects including play ground, a crematorium at Van and solving the land issue at Maulinguem.
However, Mulgao sarpanch Pradeep Revodkar was unsure of job prospects for local youth in mining firms and said his priority would be the construction of a play ground, a gym, hall and a market complex through MP fund and other projects like road and gutters.
