VASCO: The Sancoale panchayat is functioning without a sarpanch for more than two months.
Mormugao BDO Prasidh Naik informed that the sarpanch’s election has been postponed as a panch member tested COVID positive.
Panchayat sources informed that the panchas had in a letter to the Director of Panchayats had requested for postponing the election. The panch, who had contracted the infection, recovered within sixty days. However, despite requests to conduct the Sarpanch’s election, the Director of Panchayats is yet to respond.
BDO Prasidh Naik informed that within a month’s time after the no confidence motion was passed, the Director of Panchayats has issued notice to conduct Sarpanch election in Sancoale, but the panchayat replied back to the notice stating that a panch tested COVID positive and so they cannot hold election.
“In July last week, the panchayat adopted a resolution and asked me to conduct election as the panch member has recovered,” Naik said.
Naik said, “I informed the Director of Panchayats about this development on September 1 and soon there are chances of holding the sarpanch’s election”.
A Sancoale resident said, “As per the law within sixty days, the sarpanch needs to be elected for smooth functioning of the panchayat. I fail to understand why the election has been delayed and that too for nearly three months.”
Efforts to contact the Director of Panchayats Narayan Gad proved futile as he was not available for comments.
