MARGAO: Five months after being elected to their posts none of the newly elected members in the 30 panchayats in Salcete talukas including the Sarpanchas and Deputy Sarpanchas have received their honorarium.
The Sarpanch is paid Rs 4,000 per month, Deputy Sarpanch Rs 3,500 per month and the panchayat members Rs 3,000 per month. Despite raising this matter with the local MLA, the payment is still due. The Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho was also informed about the situation.
In fact most panchayats have not received the instalment amounting to two-month salary. Some panchayats disclosed that though the amount payable to the previous body members were released on September 26, the same has not yet been released to the panchayats.
The only panchayats that have paid its full dues to the previous panchayat members are Nuvem, Sarzora, Cana-Benaulim, Telaulim and Chandor-Cavorim. While the exact situation was not known at Raia, Varca and Velim, all the remaining panchayats are at least two months in arrears. Interestingly, 10 of the 30 panchayats do not have a full-time secretary and secretaries have been given additional charge of these panchayats.
The panchayats that do not have full-time secretary are Betalbatim, Seraulim, Camorlim, Raia, Cavelossim, Carmona, Davorlim-Dicarpale, Rumdamoll, Varca and Orlim
