MARGAO: The District Planning Committee (DPC) meeting held to finalise the development plan for South Goa witnessed a turnout with only one MLA and Minister in attendance. While Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira and Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar were present, the absence of other members prompted the South Goa Zilla Panchayat to seek clarification on quorum requirements.

The DPC meeting took place on Thursday at the South Goa District Collectorate complex, where Minister Sequeira and South Goa Zilla Panchayat Chairman Suvarna Tendulkar claimed to have achieved a quorum of 16 members, allowing the meeting to proceed.

Historically, the DPC meetings, crucial for the development plan of South Goa, faced challenges in conducting sessions due to insufficient quorum. Even the district’s MLAs and Ministers, who are permanent members of the committee, often failed to attend.

Addressing the issue, Minister Aleixo Sequeira expressed his opinion that permanent invitees should not be part of the quorum. He emphasized that the quorum should primarily consist of members of the body, excluding permanent invitees who are not considered members.

Suvarna Tendulkar, Chairperson of South Goa ZP, mentioned plans to write to the concerned department, including the Directorate of Panchayats, seeking clarification on the quorum issue. She stressed that without the required quorum, there is no provision to continue with the meeting.

NON-RESPONSIVE: Majority of P’yats and Municipalities in South Goa fail to submit Development Plans for 2024-25

MARGAO: A significant number of panchayats in South Goa display a lack of commitment to the preparation of development plans for their villages, with only 53 out of 89 panchayats and one out of eight municipalities found to be serious about the process. This information emerged during a meeting of the District Planning Committee chaired by Suvarna Tendulkar, Chairperson of South Goa Zilla Panchayat, held on Thursday in Margao.

At the meeting, the committee finalised the draft development plan for the fiscal year 2024-25 based on the plans they received from responsive panchayats. The draft plan will now be submitted to the Directorate of Panchayats for approval, following which it will be forwarded to the government for implementation in the next financial year.

“As per the Act, every panchayat body needs to prepare a development plan and submit it to the zilla panchayat annually. There is a High court order stating the Directorate of Panchayat has to prepare the development plan,” said Tendulkar, expressing concern about the low level of responsiveness from panchayats.

Notably, out of the eight municipalities in the South district, only Margao has submitted its development plan for the next financial year.