TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Administration has come to a grinding halt at the Dramapur-Sirlim village panchayat ~ three days after both the sarpanch and the deputy sarapnch were voted out of office in a no-confidence motion.
Since Tuesday, the Panchayat neither has a sarpanch nor deputy sarpanch. The Panchayat authorities too have not appointed an administrator to manage the affairs of the panchayat pending election of the new sarpanch and deputy.
When contacted, Salcete Block Development Officer Manuel Barretto told Herald that his office had immediately intimated the Panchayat Director the vacancy caused at Dramapur-Sirlim village panchayat following the ouster of the sarpanch and deputy. “My office has till date not received any order appointing any officer to act as the administrator pending election of a new sarpanch and deputy,” Barretto said.
Herald inquiries have revealed that Dramapur-Sirlim panchayat has no full-time secretary and the incumbent secretary is holding additional charge of the neighbouring panchayat of Chinchinim. Sources said that citizens, who had visited the Panchayat office in the last three days for official work, had to return home disappointed since there was no one to attend to official work. “Things would have been different had there been a full-time panchayat secretary for the village. The Panchayat Director should not only initiate steps to appoint an administrator, but hold the elections at the earliest and fill up the vacant posts,” remarked a panchayat member.
