MARGAO/VASCO: Most of the panchayats in Salcete on Monday constituted the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) at the special gram sabha convened to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti with one panchayat resolving to write to the BDO that the reconstitution was not in keeping with the law.
Chandor-Cavorim gram sabha observed that the Biological Diversity Rules 2004 clearly mentioned that the term of the Committee chairman would be three years and yet it was being reconstituted before completing that period without the rules being amended which tantamount to an illegality.
Notwithstanding that, the gram panchayat constituted a ten-member committee retaining three members from the previous committee including the chairman. Three panchayat members were nominated to the committee along with three other villagers. At Carmona, a seven-member committee was nominated with a villager Antonio Silva as chairman and two members of the panchayat including the Deputy Sarpanch as members. The attendance for the special gram sabha was quite dismal.
At Chinchinim, Deussua a 16-member committee with the Sarpanch Flory Pereira as chairman was constituted. All 11 members of the panchayat were nominated to the committee along with five villagers.
At Loutolim, a 13-member committee was nominated with Sarpanch Inacinho Fernandes as the chairman and seven of the nine panchas as members. Only five villagers were nominated to the committee.
At Guirdolim a six-member committee with former Sarpanch Agostinho Antao was nominated. Sarpanch Malisha Carvalho was also nominated to this committee along with four villagers.
As the villages of Sao Jose de Areal and Macazana had constituted the Biodiversity Committees at their first gram sabha after the new panchayat was elected, they did not reconstitute the committees.
Meanwhile at all village panchayats under Mormugao taluka, barring Quelossim village panchayat, constituted the BMC in their respective villages.
Meanwhile, to strengthen the efforts of village panchayats in saving the environment and village resources, the gram sabha members from Chicolna-Bogmalo constituted seven-members BMC.
In Chicalim, Rui Araujo was unanimously nominated the Chairman of BMC of Chicalim village.
In Sancoale and Velsao-Pale-Issorcim too the BMC was constituted.
Though the gram sabha members of Sancoale panchayat wanted a women member to be nominated in the BMC, however, since no women turned up for the gram sabha BMC was constituted and it was decided to nominate a women member in the BMC at later stage.
Quelossim village panchayat had also called for a special gram sabha on Monday, but due to poor attendance it was decided to constitute the BMC during the next gram sabha slated on October 29.
Since Cortalim VP had already constituted their BMC, they held a special gram sabha to kick-start the door-to-door collection of garbage from all areas in the village on Monday.
In Cansaulim-Arrossim-Cuelim panchayat, the BMC of the village was elected by vote of the gram sabha members amidst opposition and protest by a villagers group.
