Given the interesting development, villagers opposed to the 85 room hotel project are weighing various options, including the option to challenge the panchayat resolution before the panchayat director.
At the panchayat meeting attended by nine members and chaired by acting sarpanch Simon Barretto on Monday, it was unanimously resolved to inform the BDO that the meeting as per section 4 of Section 5 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, was already conducted on August 10, and hence ruled out the question of holding of another ordinary gram sabha meeting. The meeting said the information given by the BDO observer that the August 10 gram sabha has been left without concluding the agenda as the sarpanch and members walked out from the meeting is not based on the factual position. “In case the Block Development Officer wants that the subject matter of the license issued to the hotel project by the panchayat can be taken up for discussion in the gram sabha meeting, then the clarifications may be sought from the said office, so that the Panchayat will accordingly bind themselves to have the discussion in the gram sabha on the hotel project and any subject which does not fall within the provision of section 6 of the Panchayat Raj Act. Such a clarification will help the panchayat not to adhere to the provisions of the Panchayat Raj Act”, the resolution adopted at today’s meeting states, while asking the panchayat secretary to obtain the necessary clarification from the BDO office.
With the panchayat body rejecting the BDO’s office order, all eyes are now focused on the Salcete BDO whether he would still go ahead and direct the panchayat secretary to convene the gram sabha
on August 31.
