TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Alleging that the government had still not constituted the Third Goa State Planning Commission for the period 2012-2017, the Council for Social Justice and Peace alleged that it was being secretive and discriminatory viz a viz the visit of the Union Finance Commission.
The church through its social organ has expressed its dismay on the secrecy and discriminatory approach adopted by the State Government for the two-day visit of the high-level team of the 14th Union Finance Commission to Goa.
“One wonders how such an exercise of planning, once in five years, can be undertaken by not involving the various stakeholders involved in local governance,” says the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) in a press release.
The Council would like the 14th Planning Commission to take cognizance of the fact that the Government has not been paying any attention to repeated recommendations of successive finance commissions when it comes to the devolution of powers, functions and finances to the local self-governments. “While the recommendations of the Second Goa State Finance Commission, which were submitted in 2007, have not even been considered and implemented. The State Government has not yet constituted the Third Goa State Planning Commission for the period 2012-2017,’ it alleged.
According to the CSJP, the District Planning Committees (DPCs) are almost defunct and as a result there are no District Development Plans and Village Development Plans in place. It also alleged that finances to the panchayats and municipal councils are being disbursed on an arbitrary basis, there being no accountable and transparent criteria for just and equitable allocation of funds to local bodies.
This has led to allocation of funds and functionaries depending on political affiliations of the Local MLA and Elected Panchayat/Municipal Representatives and also allowing undue interference of the State Government in influencing the affairs of the Local Bodies,’ it alleged.
“The Government does not consult multi-stake holders on the policies impacting Local Governance Bodies, thereby resulting in wasteful expenditures, corrupt practices and damage to the environment, ecology and livelihood of the local people,’ it alleged arguing that there is parallel governance with multiple agencies carrying out development activities in the Local Body jurisdiction, often without consultations with the Gram Sabhas or the Local Bodies.
