TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: Controversy marred the no-trust motion against Colva Sarpanch and deputy on Monday, even as the Secretary told newsmen after the special meeting of the panchayat body that both Snowkon Gonsalves and his deputy Blanca were voted out of office in the no-confidence motion.
The motion was passed by by 5-0 votes, he said.
When the panchayat members turned up for the special meeting convened by the Block Development Officer this morning, the BDO observer was conspicuous by his absence. That’s not all. The notice of no trust submitted by the signatories went missing from the panchayat file, prompting the Secretary Edwin Carvalho to ask the signatories to get the “received” copy of the notice to take up the motion for discussions at the meeting.
What’s more, since the BDO observer failed to turn up, Snowkon, his deputy and two other members left the meeting hall on grounds that the secretary had announced adjournment of the meeting.
Secretary Edwin Carvalho said the meeting was presided over by a member Agnelo Pereira and the motion against the sarpanch and deputy was passed by 5-0 votes. He admitted that the no-trust motion notice went missing from the panchayat file when it was tabled at the meeting this morning.
A signatory to the motion Menino Fernandes expressed surprise over the notice of the motion going missing from the panchayat file and asked the secretary to inquire into the episode.
Meanwhile, in a new twist to the no-confidence motion, Salcete Block Development Officer, Uday Prabhudessai, has questioned the decision of the panchayat secretary in going ahead with today’s meeting in the absence of the BDO observer. “I fail to understand how the secretary could continue with the proceedings when the BDO observer could not make it as he was indisposed,” Prabhudessai said, while saying that he would place the facts before the Panchayat Director for a decision.
