TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Is the Social Welfare Department’s South Goa office meant to perform a postman’s job of collecting scheme forms from the beneficiaries and despatching the same to the head office, Panjim, for approval?
When the government set up the social welfare office on the ground floor of the new Collectorate building last year, hopes were raised that people from South Goa need no longer travel to the state capital for official work. A year down the line and the functioning of the office stands paralysed for want of staff and basic infrastructure. The department has deputed a deputy director to head the South office, but his posting has not changed the ground reality in the absence of basic infrastructure.
The office is manned by a skeletal staff comprising a district welfare officer, two LDCs and a peon. One of the LDCs has been requisitioned for poll duties, disrupting the administration.
What’s important to note is that though the government has deputed a deputy director, it is learnt he is not armed with any powers to take decision on applications from the purported beneficiaries. In the absence of any powers to decide on the applications at the district level, the South office is left with the job of a postman – to issue and collect the forms from the beneficiaries and send the same to the headquarters for approval.
Herald inquiries have further revealed that the office has neither an accountant nor head clerks required for administrative work. It is further revealed that though the office had sent in the staff and manpower requisitions a couple of months ago, the ground reality remains unchanged.
Rachol Sarpanch Joseph Vaz, who is also the vice-president of All Goa Panchayat Democratic Forum, cried foul over the state of affairs of the department. “People from South were happy when the office was established in March last year. Things, however, are yet to fall in place. There’s no call centre to guide the people nor anyone is around to help to guide the people vis-a-vis the documentation process”, Vaz said, while urging the government to stop fooling the people of South Goa with promises to taking the administration to the door steps of the people.
