MARGAO: On Friday, Peter Quadros was elected unopposed as the new Sarpanch of Raia village panchayat . He pledged to work for the betterment of the village by taking all the panch members into confidence.
The post of Sarpanch had fallen vacant following the resignation of the outgoing Sarpanch, Judas Quadros, as part of an ‘understanding’ within the ruling groups. Out of the 11 panchayat members, only seven were present at the meeting to elect the new Sarpanch. Peter Quadros was the sole candidate to file a nomination for the position. Addressing reporters, the newly elected Sarpanch expressed his commitment to village development and claimed that there would be no internal conflicts among the panchayat members.
A group of four panchayat members, led by Xavier Fernandes, abstained from participating in the election process due to reported irregularities related to the utilisation of funds received by the ruling group under the 14th Finance Commission.
Xavier Fernandes explained their decision, stating that they had raised concerns about the ruling group’s irregularities in procuring various items using these grants. They decided not to be part of the Sarpanch election process in anticipation of action against those responsible for the alleged irregularities.
Fernandes further alleged that the ruling group had spent nearly Rs 80 lakh on items like chairs and air conditioners instead of allocating funds for essential developmental projects in the village. An inquiry had been initiated after a complaint was filed with the relevant authorities, and it had revealed discrepancies in the procurement of materials. Additionally, documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act reportedly revealed multiple discrepancies in the process.
