CALANGUTE: The major issues that dominated the Calangute gram sabha were the surplus budget, debris dumped in front of St Alex church and extortion of money from business establishments.
However, the gram sabha members were angry at the omission of PDA issue from the agenda.
Sunday’s gram sabha was the continuation of the May 6 meeting that was adjourned; and the venue was jam-packed to discuss the issue of PDA. However, the five-hour meeting discussed various issues, but not the issue of PDA; it ended a little after 4 pm.
Panchayat Secretary Raghuvir Bhagkar was condemned by the locals for not recording the minutes of the gram sabha and misleading the panchayat members on the budget.
Pointing out that a surplus budget of around Rs 16 crore was shown for 2018-19, the villagers questioned under which provision of the Panchayat Raj Act the surplus budget was shown. They also questioned how the surplus budget could be approved when there is an FIR pending at the Calangute police station for misappropriation of funds by the previous panchayat body and the accounts of the panchayat have not been audited for the last three years.
However, the newly elected Sarpanch Shawn Martins had a standard answer to all the questions raised by the villagers: “Come to the panchayat on Monday and I will give you the answer.”
Meanwhile, a local alleged that despite bringing to the attention of the panchayat, it has not taken action against a builder who has dumped construction debris in front of St Alex church. The same local alleged that an illegal structure has come up and an approach road leading to this place has been constructed in front of the St Alex Church.
The deputy sarpanch was pulled up by the locals for supporting illegal activities in his ward.
Jose, a villager, complained that a traditional pathway has been blocked by erecting a gate at the Calangute market; houses have been constructed illegally near the police station; panchayat funds have been used to carry out works already done by the PWD.
Stating that drug and sex trade were destroying the village, former sarpanch Joseph Sequeira urged the panchayat to eradicate the menace.
To a question from the villagers whether the panchayat was collecting money from tourists who cook food along the road side, especially in front of the Calangute church, Sarpanch Martins said, “It was wrong to collect money from these tourist cooking along the roadside and it needs to be stopped at the earliest.”
