Davorlim Sarpanch cries foul
MARGAO, DEC 1
Davorlim sarpanch cried foul on Wednesday as the PWD went ahead with the repair and desilting of the Layamati spring under police protection.
As per the orders of the district Collector, the police was deployed in strength to provide protection to the contractor to undertake the work, even as the Sarpanch Francisco Dias bitterly protested over the exercise, saying the work was being carried out sans any tender.
PWD engineer Dayanand Faldessai told newsmen that work was being undertaken based on instructions from the local MLA and PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao as per the demands of the locals. “The PWD has received the approval to carry out the work at the spring site”, he added.
The Sarpanch, however, contested the contention of the PWD engineer, saying that a letter on the PWD Minister’s letter head does not become an official document and demanded to know the work order as well as the plan to undertake the desilting work.
Incidentally, panch member and PWD Minister’s staunch supporter Rajini Raikar begged to differ with the Sarpanch. She asserted that there’s no need for a plan since the work is limited to desilting and not expansion of the spring. She further pointed out that the Panchayat body only adopts resolutions and forward the same to the concerned department for implementation.
Sarpanch Dias demanded to know whether any tender was issued to repair and desilt the spring, adding that the PWD had diverted money sanctioned for a drain work near Datta Mandir. “What the PWD has done today is gross misuse of the police machinery to carry out the work. If the PWD Minister is interested to usher in development work, he should take up the village roads on a war footing”, he said.
What has agitated the village is the fact that the Panchayat had planned to take up the desilting and repair of the spring, before the PWD took up the work without complying with the tendering process.
