Team Herald
SANTO ESTEVAM: The Santo Estevam panchayat reconstituted Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) at a recently held gram sabha.
It was brought to the knowledge of the villagers through an RTI application that panchayat fund as misappropriated; the fund was allocated by the Goa State Biodiversity to BMC for minor expenditure such as stationary and to conduct the related study.
The gram sabha passed a resolution opposing development of a pond into a playground, as the land was acquired by the government without following the proper procedures, since it is a low lying area and a water body. The St Estevam panchayat was directed by the gram sabha not to issue NOC for its development.
The gram sabha also passed a resolution opposing development of survey number 224/1/2/3 into Palacio De Jua proposed by the IPB, as the area is still demarcated as an orchard zone and an eco-sensitive area.
The panchayat maintained that it did not issue an NOC for its conversion and hence the project should be scrapped with immediate effect.
In view of the recent robberies in the village, the Sarpanch was unable to provide a satisfactory answer on the registration formalities of migrant workers and tenants who currently reside in the village, who are in turn used by certain panch members as vote bank.
