MARGAO: The gaming rooms dominated the proceedings of Rumdamol-Davorlim Village Panchayat gram sabha on Sunday as the villagers alleged that the police were tacitly supporting the owners and demanded immediate closure of it.
The villagers complained of their ill effects on the youth of the village to Sarpanch Mohammad Samiulla Faniband, who in return assured the villagers that he would get them closed down.
One villager said that children steal money from home to play there. Another disclosed that even gold has been pawned to play at these gaming rooms.
The sarpanch assured them that he would take up the matter with the police and even the local MLA.
When Faniband disclosed that the panchayat had already filed a written complaint to the police about the matter, the villagers alleged that police are tacitly supporting the gaming room owners because of the commission paid to them.
The sarpanch then said he would use the office of the MLA to address the issue and assured the people that he was totally against the gaming rooms and would ensure that they were shut down.
Later, the secretary read out the 12 works that are sanctioned under the 14th Finance Commission and all 12 works pertained to construction or repairs of drains at different places in the village.
At this junction, the villagers said that the contractor given the work of desilting the drains in the village for Rs 1.40 lakh did not do the work.
“He just took the money and went and did not desilt the drains that is why during the monsoons all water was flowing over the road,” said a village naming specific gutters that were not cleaned and the sarpanch was forced to agree to get those drains desilted.
The sarpanch also agreed to write to all the restaurant owners in the village to take sewerage connection as the villagers complained that they were releasing their dirty water in the public drains. Some villagers even demanded that the restaurants be closed down for causing nuisance in the village.
The management of Anjuman Hall came in for severe criticism for dumping all their waste in the drain outside the premises and it was decided that the management be asked to keep the drain clean after every party or function held in the hall.
The villagers were informed that henceforth the panchayat will remain closed on Sunday following a circular from the Block Development Officer and an official of the Labour Department explained the schemes available under the Buildings and Construction Workers Welfare Board.
