CANACONA: Residents of largely tribal villages Cotigao and Gaondongrem actually trudge 15 kms to visit their panchayats only to find that the Talathi is not available and this is causing much misery to them as they have to make multiple trips to the panchayat to meet this official.
Sometimes, left with no option, they have to travel to the taluka headquarters namely Canacona town to the Mamlatdar’s office to meet the Talathi concerned.
The poor tribals are forced to do this to get some minor works related to the Civil Supplies Department or even the Revenue Department done given the fact that Talathi is the first officer of any revenue village.
As Talathi is the first officer of any revenue village, he or she is provided an office either in the village panchayat office or near to it. But in Cotigao and Gaondongrem villages the situation is different as given their vast area, people live 7 to 10 kms away from the panchayat and have to mostly walk this distance to visit the panchayat.
The hard-pressed villagers have to initially walk this huge distance to visit their panchayat office.
And on learning that the Talathi is not there, have to then travel to the taluka capital to trace the Talathi at the Mamlatdar’s office. As a result an entire day is wasted by the time they return home and they are lucky if they do meet the Talathi at the Mamlatdar’s office.
Gaondongrem sarpanch Dhillon Desai pointed out that while the Canacona Mamlatdar has decreed that the Talathi should visit their panchayat twice a week, he comes only once a week.
“In fact he is not in the panchayat for even one hour in a week and that is the reason why I have installed CCTV cameras to record his arrival and departure from his office in the village,” he said.
Stating that he has already complained to the Mamlatdar about the Talathi’s style of working, Dhillon said he was hopeful of some action against the erring official.
Laxman Gaonker from Gaondongrem disclosed that most people walk to the panchayat and from there take a bus to come to Canacona to trace the Talathi. Many times this proves to be a waste of time as the Talathi is not traced and the villagers end up wasting a whole day by the time they return home empty-handed.
“We, villagers, are toiling everyday in our fields and cannot afford to waste our time in coming to Canacona to meet an officer who is not there,” he said, disclosing the dilemma the people face.
Cotigao sarpanch Anandu Desai however said their Talathi visits the panchayat twice a week and added that there are no complaints against him.
“However, I am now asking the government to provide the Talathi in our village on all working days for the benefit of our people,” he said.
However, Ramdas Velip from Cotigao said they are forced to go to the Mamlatdar’s office in search of the Talathi. “There is nobody to help us at the Mamlatdar’s office and most often we are asked to go to the Citizen Service Centre,” he said pointing out that they have to pay to this centre for any work while the same could have been provided free to them in their own village by the Talathi.
Pointing out that there is a shortage of Talathis, Canacona Mamlatdar Manoj Korgaonkar said he would solve the problem of Cotigao and Gaondongrem at the earliest as he has received complaints about the Talathi from the villagers.
“I have instructed all the Talathis to be present in the panchayats they are posted in at least for half day as they are required to be at my office to complete their work for the remaining half day,” he said, admitting that the same person is appointed as Talathi for Cotigao and Gaondongrem.
He said he has asked that the Talathis working in the taluka be shuffled as they have been working here for more than five years.
