MARGAO: Once again, this year, 30 panchayats in Salcete taluka, with the exception of one, have neglected to adhere to provisions outlined in the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, under which they are constituted.
As per Sub-section (1), Section 5, Chapter II, of the Act, “There shall be four ordinary meetings of the Gram Sabha to be held on any Sunday of January, April, July, and October of every year, to be convened by the Sarpanch.”
However, apart from Aquem-Baixo panchayat, none of the other sarpanchas convened these four mandated gram sabha. Interestingly, Aquem-Baixo village held its gram sabha in both January and April, on the same date – the 28th of the month.
While Loutolim, Benaulim, and Betalbatim did conduct their Gram Sabhas in April, these three villages failed to hold their mandatory Gram Sabha meetings in January altogether. Some Sarpanchas argue that they did not convene the gram sabha due to the prevailing code of conduct, but there is no justification for this claim.
Salcete Block Development Officer Nimisha Fal Dessai pointed out that there were no directives from the Election Commission or the department regarding the conduct of gram sabha during the election process. “As the Act mandates that the gram sabha should be held, the Sarpanchas should have convened them, as there was no directive to the contrary from any authority,” she said.
