MARGAO: Ignored and neglected by the government to arm the district panchayat bodies with powers, functions and funds, Chairperson of the South Goa Zilla Panchayat Nelly Rodrigues has rejected the request of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), South, to sign the audit report of the agency.
The refusal to sign the audit report may put the DRDA in a tight spot as the agency is mandated to despatch the audit documents to Delhi to obtain funds for the agency.
The ZP Chairperson said she has refused to sign the RDA audit report in protest against the utter neglect of the Zilla Panchayats by the government over the last five years. “We were promised powers, functions, funds and an office in the Old district collectorate building, but in vain. The government has completely taken the Zilla Panchayats for granted by denying us our powers and functions”, she said.
Last year too, Nelly had signed the DRDA audit report under protest, hoping that things will change for the better for the Zilla Panchayat, but the ground reality remains unchanged till date.
She demanded to know whether the Chairperson of the Zilla Panchayat is only supposed to sign the audit report of the Rural Development Agency in Goa when the RDA is part and parcel of Zilla Panchayats in other states.
“The South Zilla Panchayat had been demanding with the government to hand over the RDA department to the ZP, but
in vain. Even the RDA has not accepted proposals mooted
by the ZP members in their
respective constituencies”,
she added.
