MARGAO: Noisy scenes were witnessed at the gram sabhas of Sarzora and Navelim on Sunday over several issues. However, the meetings continued with locals of both the villages approving the Budget for the year 2021-22.
At Sarzora, objecting to the absence of the two male panchas, the locals claimed that both generally remain absent for the gram sabhas even though the other five women panchas attend.
Sarpanch Sabita Mascarenhas said the law does not make it mandatory for a panch to attend the gram sabha even as the villagers demanded to know whether the panchas have no responsibility towards those who voted them.
The villagers did not allow the meeting to proceed and asked the sarpanch to call up the two absent members which she did and lamented that panch Jacinto Fernandes was not answering her calls.
However, as the other panch Wilson Fernandes came half hour later, the gram sabha proceeded and the villagers approved Rs 5.18 lakh deficit Budget where the total expected income was Rs 1.69 crore while the total expenditure was pegged at Rs 1.74 crore with Rs 1.77 lakh expected from house tax.
Meanwhile at Navelim, there were heated discussions over the western bypass as the villagers claimed that it was not being done as per the plans shown to them earlier and as promised to them when a meeting was organised by former MLA Avertano Furtado.
As the panchayat claimed not to have any copy of the western bypass plan, former sarpanch Shubert Furtado said a plan was presented and it clearly showed that the by-pass being constructed on stilts with box culverts at two places.
The villagers demanded that the western bypass as constructed at present be demolished since it was not as per the plans originally shown to them and the panchayat was asked to get a copy of the original plan and accordingly convene a special gram sabha by inviting Avertano Furtado and MLA Luizinho Faleiro.
Villagers Antonio Alvares, Schubert Furtado, Cruz Rodrigues, Herald Pinto, Inacio Vaz, Bishut Temudo and Eliterio Carneiro participated in the discussion on the western bypass and other issues.
The gram sabha rejected the Sinquetim-Benaulim bridge proposed by Churchill Alemao when he was the Navelim MLA. The locals said about 100 metres away from the bridge site the western bypass coming up which will be a four-lane road. They said there was no need for the narrow bridge.
Navelkar, a non-resident was castigated when he said that 90 per cent of the work on the Sinquetim-Benaulim bridge was completed and was asked to prove it.
“If not much work is done then it is better to drop the proposal,” the villagers demanded.
During the Budget discussion, it was disclosed that in 2020 there were 4,800 stray dogs in Navelim and the panchayat was asked to make a provision by either signing an agreement with Animal Welfare Trust or some other organisation.
The gram sabha condoled the death of Santa Rita Coelho, panchayat member. The gram sabha congratulated Cipru Cardoso for being elected as Zilla Panchayat member from Navelim and Aldrich Coelho on getting elected to the panchayat.
The gram sabha appreciated the interest shown by former sarpanchas Bishut Temudo and Schubert Furtado for regularly attending the gram sabha and for providing their valuable suggestions.
