Team Herald
PERNEM: The Morjim gram sabha on Sunday shot down the proposal to hike house tax after a heated discussion, which also focused on safety and preservation of forest and hills and commercial constructions.
Initially, secretary Vijay Tilve read out the minutes of the previous gram sabha and later announced agenda for discussion.
Addressing the gram sabha, Sarpanch Vaishali Shetgaonkar informed that house tax was last hiked in 2001 and that the panchayat proposes to increase the same. But the villagers wanted to know whether the panchayat was collecting house tax from all the houses, if not, why.
Locals demanded the panchayat conduct a survey of all the houses in the village and start collecting tax from all the houses to increase revenue of the Panchayat. The people also suggested that the panchayat should allot house numbers to all houses. To this, the sarpanch informed that a decision on this matter would be taken after discussing the same with the BDO and special panchayat meeting would be held to discuss the issue.
Secondly, the villagers sought to know how many farmhouses have been constructed on the hills and whether the panchayat has granted them permission. As the sarpanch failed to give a satisfactory answer, people demanded that the panchayat conduct a survey of the farmhouses and take action against unauthorised ones.
People also questioned the panchayat about a huge construction on CRZ and its status. Since the panchayat failed to give a satisfactory answer, the people suggested the panchayat conduct a survey of the huge constructions on the coastal belt and collect revenue from them.
The villagers also highlighted the issue of vegetable sellers sitting on the roadside. Locals said this there is danger to the lives of the vegetable sellers and they should be shifted to market complex for their safety. People also suggested the panchayat to construct a pay toilet in market complex.
Further people asked the panchayat what steps it is taking to preserve and safeguard the hills. “Even though hill cutting and deforestation is undertaken after taking permission of forest department, Panchayat should also keep a check on this,” a villager said.
