The long-delayed Anjuna panchayat gram sabha, scheduled for Sunday, took a dramatic turn after secretary Rui Cardozo excused himself at the last minute, forcing a three-week postponement.
As per a notice issued by Sarpanch Laxmidas Chimulkar, the meeting convened at the panchayat hall, where he informed villagers that Cardozo had submitted a leave application on August 23. Consequently, the Bardez BDO deputed Siolim-Marna secretary Premanand Mandrekar to conduct proceedings.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Mandrekar read out the BDO’s order and the previous minutes, but villagers, led by Pradeep Harmalkar, objected, calling it a waste of time to proceed with a secretary unfamiliar with local issues, especially amid Ganesh Chaturthi preparations. Harmalkar’s demand for postponement was seconded by Ramesh Naik and unanimously supported by the villagers.
Notably, Anjuna panchayat has one of the lowest records for holding gram sabhas. It’s first meeting of 2025 was held in March, and today’s was to be only the second after five months. With the postponement to September 15, and little chance of another in October, the panchayat may end up conducting only two gram sabhas this year instead of the mandated four.
