Team Herald
MARGAO: The Raia gram sabha had to be adjourned to next Sunday (August 6) as the issue of mismanagement of panchayat funds by the previous body despite taking much of the time remained unresolved with the panchayat only agreeing to discuss the matter at their monthly meeting and get back to the gram sabha.
The amount that was to be received by the panchayat for leasing out its ground to 3 Military Training Regiment for 30 days for the Durand Cup held in 2014 dominated the gram sabha with fingers pointed to the then sarpanch Isidorio Rodrigues of financial mismanagement.
The ground was reportedly leased out for a payment of Rs 1,20,000, of which 3 Military Training Regiment paid Rs 60,000 by cash and Rs 30,000 by cheque. Strangely, the balance Rs 30,000 was shown as having been paid by cash and the then sarpanch issued a receipt for that amount in November 2014.
However, two years later in 2016 he wrote a letter to the panchayat stating that the amount of Rs 30,000 was given to be paid to a general store from where paint was taken to paint the ground and that his “signature was obtained on some paper for their records.”
He asked the panchayat to collect that amount from the owner of the general stores to which the villagers took strong exception and argued that money had to be recovered from the person who signed for it and not from any third party.
In fact, the discussion on this topic went on for so long that one Ivy who was a ward development committee member grabbed the microphone kept for the use of the villagers and would not let go of it thereby stalling the gram sabha for over half an hour.
The villagers pointed out that even the Auditor’s report had made a mention of this lacunae and the panchayat finally agreed to discuss the matter thoroughly at their monthly meeting and accordingly inform the next gram sabha about its decision.
Martin Rodrigues the chairman of the village development committee presented the Gram Panchayat Development Plan for Raia and the panchayat agreed to the people’s demand to present the same to the villagers through a projector at the August 15 special gram sabha.
The budget for the current financial year was also approved at the gram sabha as the previous body did not convene a gram sabha since December 2016 where this could be approved. A surplus budget of Rs 86,54,991 was passed.
