TEAM HERALD
OLD GOA: Stating that the lives of the four workers, who died while cleaning a STP of Hotel Shell Top, would have been saved had the St Cruz Panchayat taken cognizance and acted stringently on the resolution passed at the gram sabha in October, 2012, NGO SCREAM urged the panchayat to act on the resolutions adopted by the locals so that such types of incidents are not repeated in the future.
Speaking at the gram sabha on Sunday, SCREAM member Peter Gonsalves said the resolution moved by Reggie Gomes had urged the then panchayat to take action against Hotel Shell Top as its sewage was overflowing.
“However, the panchayat failed to act in the matter,” Gonsalves informed while opining that had the panchayat authorities taken the issue seriously and acted stringently against the hotel owner, then the accident would never have occurred.
Gonsalves also raised the issue of open spaces and urged the panchayat to identify and take possession of it so that encroachment on open spaces is avoided.
Sarpanch Vincent Lourenco informed that he has already started the process of identifying open spaces and even sent notice in one such case for handing over the open space to the panchayat.
Lourenco further said the panchayat will form a committee which will help to identify open spaces in all the wards in the village.
He also informed that the panchayat has decided to appoint two persons to recover the house tax arrears. “One person will be employed to draft the notices while the other will be employed to serve them,” he stated.
Taking objection to the continuous absence of some panchas for the gram sabha meetings, a local Renato Dias resolved that a panch absent for over two meetings should not be allowed to contest future panchayat elections.
Dias further urged the panchayat to forward the resolution to the BDO, the Director of Panchayats and the Minister of Panchayats so that they take cognizance of the same and make it mandatory for panchas to attend the gram sabha meetings.
A local Jose Gonsalves also raised the issue of fisherfolks squatting along the roadside even when they have been allotted space inside the market. “After 11 am, all the fisherfolk leave their allotted space and do business along the roadside,” said Gonsalves and urged the panchayat to act against these fisherfolks.
Sarpanch Lourenco, however, said the panchayat will first renovate the market. “After renovation, nobody will be allowed to do business along the roadside,” he assured.
On the issue of sewerage line for Santa Cruz, Lourenco said the panchayat has forwarded proposal in this regard to the PWD minister and the local MLA.
