Team Herald
MARGAO: Rejecting the Government’s claim that Goa is open defecation free (ODF), Chandor Cavorim villagers said at least their own village is not ODF.
They also outright rejected the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) sent by the government to the panchayat.
“Till the 43 individuals are provided toilets at their residence, Chandor Cavorim cannot be declared to be open defecation free,” resolved the villagers at a special gram sabha that was held on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
The panchayat had earlier conducted a survey to identify households that do not have toilets and had asked people to apply for the toilet to be provided by the government and 43 individuals had applied.
Sarpanch Edward D’Silva admitted that there were many people who did not apply for the toilet because they feared that they would have to pay Rs 10,000 for the same as that was the price fixed by the government then.
However, now that the price is reduced, he said many people are coming to apply for the toilets and the villagers asked him to accept all such applications, but to write to the government that till such time as the applicants are provided individual toilets, the village cannot be said to be open defecation free.
Former Sarpanch Celina Coelho e Furtado cited the case of one individual who could not afford to pay the hefty sum of Rs. 10,000.
The villagers also outright rejected the draft CZMP sent to the village on grounds that it is the same CZMP that was sent earlier.
“None of the suggestions and recommendations made by the villagers have been incorporated in this plan which continues to show salt pans when there are no salt pans in our village,” said a villager Felix Furtado.
The villagers have studied the map and made their suggestions and recommendations but the same could not be presented at the gram sabha due to a medical emergency in the family of the person who has prepared the plan.
