Team Herald
SANGUEM: Taking a cue from the recent increase in the monthly salary paid to the MLAs by 70 percent, the sarpanchas and panchayat members of five panchayats in Sanguem constituency have demanded an increase in their monthly salaries to Rs 25,000, as they do the similar work at the grassroots level as is otherwise done by the elected members of legislative assembly.
While the motion to increase the salaries of MLAs was unanimously passed in the assembly without any discussion, the sarpanchas and panchayat members from Sanguem taluka wondered why they should not be given a rise in their salaries.
Bhati Sarpanch Uday Naik informed that the government is presently paying them a meagre compensation of Rs 4000 per month which hardly compensates even the cost of travelling to government offices and panchayat wards. The cost of petrol over the years has increased considerably and the panchayat members hailing from the interior villages of Sanguem taluka have to spend more on travelling alone to get the work of people done.
Uday Naik regretted that despite frequent requests to the MLAs and ministers, the issue pertaining to the hike in salaries of panchayat members have fallen on deaf ears. “Even the Leader of Opposition has failed to debate on the issue of hike in panchayat members’ salary,” Naik said.
Claiming the recent hike in salary of MLAs to be unacceptable, Naik wondered as to why the government has to pay pension to ex-MLAs.
Rivona Sarpanch Surya Naik urged the government and the MLAs to propose a similar hike in the salary of panchayat members. “The panchayat members even after doing much more work at the village level as compared to the MLAs, fail to get desired amount of compensation from the government,” Surya Naik said and demanded their salaries be increased to Rs 25,000 per month.
Presently the Sarpanchas in Goa get remuneration of Rs 4000 per month, while the deputy sarpanchas get Rs 3500 and the members are paid Rs 3000.
“The salaries paid to the sarpanchas and the panchayat members are not enough to meet the cost involved in visiting the various government offices,” argued Curdi Wadem Sarpanch Sanjog Pai.
Netravali Sarpanch Rajini Gaonkar, Uguem Sarpanch Sanjay Parser, Curdi Wadem Deputy Sarpanch Kushta Gaonkar and Uguem panchayat member Marcus Pereira also echoed similar opinion while discussing the matter at a press meet held at Sanguem.
