The gram sabha was held at the Majorda Club hall and chaired by Sarpanch Moises Vaz, with a heavy police force from Colva PS, headed by PSI Ritesh Tari.
On the issue of the construction project, the villagers asked the panchayat why the order of the Additional Director of Panchayat –I Gopal Parsekar was not challenged before the District Court and why it had hurriedly issued the construction license for the project.
There was uproar and arguments between the sarpanch and gram sabha members as the latter sought the resignation of the sarpanch and seven panchas who had passed a controversial resolution on March 5 to issue the construction licence to the mega project against the wishes of the villagers.
The gram sabha then decided to pass a resolution to demand an inquiry into the matter, which was opposed by the sarpanch and five panchas. However, the members stuck to their guns and stated that they would not leave the hall till the resolution was passed or the meeting was adjourned. The sarpanch later agreed to their demands and the resolution was passed.
It may be recalled that the controversy surrounding this project started in 2011. Due to the villagers’ opposition, the present panchayat body had rejected the construction licence by passing a resolution in 2013. The promoters of the mega project challenged the resolution and rejection of the construction licence by filing an appeal before the Addition Director of Panchayat –I Gopal Parsekar.
Parsekar passed his order on February 18, stating that the panchayat had no power and jurisdiction to reject the construction licence after it is duly approved by the authorities.
The villagers, by an application dated February 22, requested the panchayat to challenge the Parsekar’s order before the District and Sessions Court, Margao, as per the Panchayat Raj Act. The panchayat advocate Joaquim D’Souza had also advised the panchayat to challenge the order as it was bad in law, and takes away the power of the local body enshrined and formed under the Constitution of India.
“Instead, the sarpanch and the panchayat rejected the request of the villagers and the advocate, and passed a resolution within seven days of receiving the Parsekar’s order and granted a construction licence to the mega project on March 5, 2015. The meeting was held in the morning and the construction licence was issued in the evening to the promoter,” said a gram sabha member.
