The Siolim-Marna Gram Sabha held on Sunday witnessed uproarious scenes as villagers voiced strong opposition to the non-availability of water supply, proposed road widening, and the approval of mega construction projects. The panchayat body often found itself fumbling for answers in the face of pointed questions.
Tensions escalated when Amrut Agarwadekar highlighted a mega project permitted in Rai with 16 flats along with swimming pools, despite the access road being only 3 metres wide. “Where is the village heading with such projects coming up on narrow roads?” he asked. His concerns were echoed by residents from Tar, while Panch member Sharmila Vernekar failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.
Joaquim Barros reminded the panchayat of a resolution passed during the previous gram sabha a year ago, which mandated strict scrutiny of files received from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department. Files were to be evaluated on parameters such as parking, road width, and setbacks, with non-compliant applications to be rejected and higher authorities informed. He questioned whether the resolution was being followed, receiving no clear response.
The issue of illegal sand mining was brought up, with Sarpanch Amit Morajkar assuring that he would request the coastal police to intensify patrolling in affected areas.
Fatima Fernandes reiterated strong opposition to any road widening, particularly the proposed 25-metre MDR. She reminded the body that a resolution had already been passed against such expansion and questioned whether the panchayat was aware of widening work currently underway from Ganeshpuri to Marna. The Sarpanch replied that he hadn’t received any written communication regarding it and was unsure if the matter had been brought to the notice of his predecessor.
The issue of linking Aadhaar cards to voter ID cards was raised, but it was felt to be unfeasible. Instead, a thorough scrutiny of the voters’ list was suggested.
Gregory D’Souza highlighted financial discrepancies, pointing out that while the panchayat spends only Rs 27 lakhs annually on garbage collection, the BDO has prepared an estimate of Rs 20 lakhs per month — exposing what he described as systematic looting of public funds.
Residents of Vaddy informed the gram sabha that the recently hotmixed road from Vaddy to Querem, extending towards the Assagao-Siolim boundary and inaugurated with much fanfare by the local MLA, had completely deteriorated after just a few showers — a clear indication of substandard work and rampant