TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: A delegation of corporators of the Corporation of the City of Panaji led by Mayor Surendra Furtado submitted a memorandum to the Goa Governor B V Wanchoo seeking devolution of powers to the corporation under the 12th schedule of the Constitution.
“Under the Twelfth Schedule (Article 243W of the Constitution) it is envisaged to entrust 18 functions to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). However, the Goa Municipalities Act (1993) has provided for devolution of 11 functions to the Municipal Councils,” the memorandum signed by the ruling councillors states.
“Of the 11 functions to be devolved on the ULBs, only eight functions and one activity and one function have been transferred as of March, 2011,” the memorandum further states.
The corporators also pointed out that the committee of six ministers which was constituted in July 2010 to study the issue of devolution of powers and recommendations of the State Finance Commission and submit report to the State Assembly and thereafter table it in the State Legislature, had met only once.
“The first meeting of the committee was held in March, 2011. Nothing has been known about the explanatory Memorandum on the recommendations of the SSFC since then. This is a matter where your intervention is urgently required,” the memorandum reads.
The Second State Finance Commission (SSFC) was entrusted with the work of recommendation for devolution of powers, functions, responsibilities and resources to ULBs. The Commission submitted its report in December 2007. The Commission recommended devolution of all the 18 functions to ULBs for economic development and social justice as listed in the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968.
“We at the CCP ~ being the elected corporators of the capital city of a state, are held at ransom as an ULB, due to non-functioning of the constitutional mechanism, i.e. procrastination to implement the recommendations of SSFC and the inexcusable delay over constitution of third SFC. We are afraid that the State government would have no face to go before the 14th Finance commission with such acts of delays and omissions,” they said even as they urged the governor to use his good offices for ensuring devolution of powers as was required.
