The 11-member Navelim Village Panchayat has the rare distinction of being a politically stable.
Since 2012 elections, the sarpanch Frank Fernandes and his deputy Belinda Dias have served their full term in office.
The other members elected to the panchayat include Adelina Fernandes, Stael Albuquerque, Santarita Coelho, Fatima Fernandes, Anna Carneiro, Minguel Cardozo, Remon Gomes, Salvador Pereira and Sharon Gomes.
The issues plaguing the panchayat are garbage management and migrant population which have put a great strain on the infrastructure.
The panchayat has employed two daily-wage labourers to collect dry garbage from households on a fortnight basis. However, this appears to be insufficient as garbage is seen strewn along the roads and the panchayat is in the process of installing a composting machine behind the Panchayat Ghar where a shed is supposed to be constructed.
Regarding the issue of migrants, the panchayat undertook a survey of people who have rented out their residential premises to migrants on rental basis and accordingly asked the owners to register with the panchayat. Till date around 52 people have registered and the panchayat is collecting 10 per cent of the rent as fees for the panchayat as against the rule that stipulates that one month’s rent be paid to the panchayat.
The panchayat is facing another menace in the form of stray cattle, the local body is in the process of acquiring land from landlords to set up a cattle pound and a grazing field for the strays.
The three standing committees and the supervisory committee have not met even once. However, the Village Development Committee constituted under the 14th Finance Commission has met and has prepared the plans but to no avail as the files were reported to have been lost in the BDO’s office.
It was revealed that one work amounting to Rs 60,000 though approved was not cleared by the BDO and ultimately the Director of Panchayats had to be contacted to get the work sanctioned.
Although the panchayat holds gram sabhas regularly there is never a quorum formed as the average attendance is around 95 persons.
While the renovation of the cemetery at Navelim was undertaken under the Zilla Panchayat funds, no project has been taken up in the village under the MPLAD scheme. According to the audit report the financial position of the panchayat was quite sound for 2015-2016 as the panchayat received Rs 23.25 lakh from the government but generated revenue of Rs 41.99 lakh from taxes and Rs 6.50 lakh from rent.
The imposing panchayat ghar is a major achievement of the panchayat although it is still to be completed as the lift is yet to be installed. The panchayat ghar is not yet fully furnished.
On the negative side, the panchayat is yet to take action against 35 illegal constructions.
