MARGAO: Recently the contentious issue of illegal rooms rented out to migrant labourers was raised in several gram sabhas across the State.
The issue reached the Sirlim gram sabha where the people decided to form a committee of villagers to go along with the panchayat members to conduct an inspection of all rooms rented out to the migrants and check the source of power and water supply for these rooms.
In the last gram sabha, the villagers had resolved to conduct a survey inspection of rooms rented out to migrants. Bernard asked the sarpanch what action was be taken. Unfortunately, the panchayat body had not taken any action. The villagers informed that the previous panchayat body had done a survey and cracked down on illegal rooms.
In the last gram sabha, they had resolved to write to the authorities to link Aadhar card to election card to eliminate duplicate election cards. Curiously, State Election Commission forwarded to the Director of Panchayats. Dominic Noronha who placed the proposal condemned the action of the State Election Commissioner and called it an eyewash and insult to the gram sabha. “Does the State Election Commission want migrants to vote in Goa,” Noronha asked. The panchayat decided to write back to the State election commissioner.
Wilson Veigas, a villager, said migrants have election cards and ration cards. Francisco Dias suggested that migrants’ election cards of their native village has to be investigated to prevent them from obtaining card in the village
In between the proceedings, the panchayat secretary was called out for leaving some pages of the minutes’ book blank. The Secretary responded by saying printouts of photos of 2nd October special gram sabha meeting which had to be pasted on the page. The deputy sarpanch accepted their mistake.
Next, one Wilson Veigas raised the issue of unknown persons dumping waste from slaughterhouses in the river near Jakniband and near Chinchinm circle was discussed. The Panchayat had written to the Pollution Control Board to conduct an inspection. When the Secretary read out the letter, the villagers objected that the letter referred only Dramapur slaughter houses.
A gram sabha member Alwyn Alfonso stated that Chinchinm slaughterhouses dump the animal waste and therefore they also had to be stated in the letter. Bernard stated that this issue has to be a continuation of the correspondence of the previous body but instead the panchayat has filed a fresh complaint without mentioning the previous reference.
The villagers also discussed a proposal for the construction of a building complex. The gram sabha had earlier resolved that because the village is low lying and that such buildings cause power/water shortage and sewage and garbage problems, only row houses will be allowed in the village and not ground+2 buildings. The panchayat informed that it is their duty to conduct an inspection of the site but the villagers insisted that the previous resolution has to be upheld.
Dellano D’Costa explained the VDC plan which was passed in the village and the works under the plan. Rs 15 lakh has been received but the estimates of the proposals are pending before the BDO engineers.
