PANJIM: As government officers were conspicuous by their absence for Chodan-Madel special gram sabha on Sunday, villagers passed a resolution directing the panchayat to seek explanation from the departments concerned within a fortnight.

“We shall wait for their replies and will hold agitations, including hunger strikes if they fail to respond,” said villagers.

The Chodan-Madel village panchayat had written letters to departments like Public Works Department (PWD), River Navigation Department (RND), Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (GSIDC) and Electricity Department, asking them to depute their officers to attend the gram sabha and attend to the grievances of the villagers.

But except for a lower divisional clerk of the RND, there was no one officer for the meeting which infuriated the villagers.

The members warned the officials not to take them for granted and directed the panchayat to immediately write to the departments concerned to seek for an explanation from the absentees.

The resolution was proposed by Chodnkarancho Awaz president Shrikrishna Halarnkar, who is also the former sarpanch.