PONDA: The villagers of Khandepar in Curti-Khandepar Panchayat are demanding the separation of the Curti Khandepar Village Panchayat into two panchayats – Village Panchayat of Khandepar and Village Panchayat of Curti for administrative purposes as well as public convenience.
At present the office of the Panchayat operates three days at Curti and three days at Khandepar. Thus the Sarpanch and employees need be at Curti for three days and then move to Khandepar for the next three days. Similarly, the Curti and Khandepar villagers too have to visit both places especially if they have urgent work.
According to social worker Rocky Dias, the creation of two different Gram Panchayats for Curti and Khandepar villages has been long demanded by Khandepar locals and also discussed at the recently held gram sabha of the Curti-Khandepar panchayat.
He claimed that the population in Curti and Khandepar has risen sharply over the years and hence, there is a need to have bifurcate the Curti-Khandepar panchayat into two distinct panchayats for Curti and Khandepar.
Dias also said that the two separate panchayats would balance the workload and the two bodies would be in a better position to serve the people in Curti and Khandepar.
He said Khandepar village is rich in biodiversity, has rural face and also other wards of Mhalshe and Mestawada Curti and Copperwada Curti can make one Khandepar panchayat, which will also help to maintain the biodiversity of the village which is highly rich.
People specially senior citizen and those who do not have their own vehicles from Khandepar and Copperwada as well as Mestawada are facing problems to reach Curti sub office as it is the interior and there is no bus transport from Khandepar.
He said while on other hand part of Curti area along Sapna park area is highly urbanized and it is wrong to keep rural and urban area together which could harm the village identity of Khandepar.
