Team Herald

PANJIM: Heated discussions were witnessed during the gram sabha of Sao Matias Village Panchayat on Sunday as a section of villagers sought to know as to why the statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been kept on the panchayat land when the Court has given a stay order on the proposal for the installation of the statue.

While another section of the villagers objected to the issue being brought up for discussion in the gram sabha since the matter is sub judice and they opined that the people of the village should wait for the final verdict of the Court.

Sarpanch Supriya Tari said that the Panchayat is not aware who are the individuals or the group who brought and kept the statue in the panchayat property.

During the meeting, members of the gram sabha objected to the proposal to impose Rs 60 per month from every household as garbage collection tax in the “absence” of a detailed plan and mechanism on required manpower for collection and segregation, disposal etc. on a large scale covering the entire village.

Issues such as irregular water supply in certain areas of the village, ferry services timings etc. were also discussed during the gram sabha meeting.