GHRC asks Marcela P’yat to open toilet for public

PANJIM: Finding the secretary of Tivrem-Orgao-Marcela Village Panchayat negligent in enforcing an order and violating the human rights of the complainant and his employees for use of the common toilet by not removing the lock, the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has asked the panchayat secretary to ensure the removal of the lock and keep open the common toilet.

The Commission recommended that the panchayat secretary act in accordance with the village panchayat notice dated March 22, 2022, expeditiously and to submit Action Taken Report to the Commission in accordance with Section 18(e) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, within 30 days from the date of the order.

Narayan Natha Narvekar, a shop owner had complained about the illegally closing of the common toilet meant for the common use of shopkeepers of Luiza Apartments, Marcela by locking the same. He had also complained to the health officer, the primary health centre and also to the Tivrem-Orgao village panchayat. 

The complainant stated the village panchayat issued notice under Section 64(1)(k) of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 dated January 27, 2020, to Luiza Afonso ordering her to stop the release of waste water and to remove the lock of the common toilet kept for the use of shops, within 10 days. But, the common toilet was not opened and the panchayat had not done anything in furtherance to the order. 

As such, Narvekar approached Goa Human Rights Commission. The panchayat secretary in his replay stated that after the village panchayat had issued notice dated January 27, 2020 to Luiza Afonso, the latter replied that the property suit is sub-judice before the Civil Court at Ponda. But the Commission found that no stay order was produced by the panchayat secretary.

The complainant submitted that though the panchayat has issued the notice dated March 22, 2022, to Luiza Afonso to remove the lock within 10 days, the lock has not been removed thereby violating the human rights of the complainant and other shop owners of the ground floor, especially women employees of the shops.