Team Herald
MARGAO: The South Goa Zilla Panchayat (SGZP) has come under fire from local panchayats for failing to carry out district planning activities in a timely manner.
This has raised concerns about missing out on government funding, which could have serious consequences for the local bodies. Despite having a District Planning Committee (DPC) with members from the SGZP, MLAs, and the MP, there has been little progress made on preparing the district development plan (DDP).
Organisations such as the Goa Panchayati Raj Institutions Union (GPRIU) and All Goa Panchayats Democratic Forum have been demanding that DPC meetings be held on schedule and that a deadline be set for the completion of the DDP.
However, SGZP Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar has pointed out that village panchayats are responsible for sending their individual development plans in a prescribed format to the Panchayat Department.
While Tendulkar has urged SGZP members to follow up with the panchayats, she noted that only a few have submitted their plans in the correct format.
Despite reminders being sent to them earlier, a majority of the panchayats have not sent in their plans, leaving the district planning activities in a state of limbo.
