MARGAO: The Navelim gram sabha on Sunday had many salient features including approving the budget with a proviso, rejection of the Western Bypass and launching online gateway for panchayat tax collection thus making it the first panchayat in the State to go in for online payment.
The gram sabha approved a Rs 1.34 crore budget provided the newly elected panchayat body can amend the same if it so desires. The decision was taken after much discussion over the matter with some villagers demanding to know how the present body that had only another one month in office could prepare the budget for the next year.
However, as the Secretary explained that there is provision in the law to amend the budget subsequently, the villagers approved the budget with a proviso to permit the newly elected body to amend it if it so desired.
Navelim panchayat became the first panchayat in the State to go in for online payment of taxes and other panchayat taxes through the IDBI Bank. The bank charges of around 1.5 per cent will be borne by the panchayat for the first year following which a decision will be taken on the programme.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, IDBI Bank has waived the Rs 25,000 deposit that is normally collected for such gateways. The panchayat expressed hopes that its arrears that are presently placed at Rs. 12 lakhs would decrease with the online payment gateway.
The fear of getting engulfed into the urban milieu of neighbouring Margao was expressed time and again. The villagers stressed their desire to remain as a village without being part of the urban set up and also strongly objected to the Western Bypass that is changing the very face of the village by destroying their fields.
The villagers were cautioned that government officials have already prepared plans to include huge chunks of Navelim village along with Benaulim into the Margao Municipal council and were urged to be vigilant against this.
MLA Luizinho Faleiro who was present for the gram sabha shared his views on the Western bypass and said the alignment of the road has changed since the time he was representing Navelim constituency.
