HERALD:What are the demands that Panchayats in Goa are fighting for with the government?
D’SOUZA: The Panchayats want the district development plans to be put in place along with a panchayat window in the state annual budget with clear allotments to each panchayats in the various sectors as per their village development plan priorities. Also on a urgent footing, it is required that the entire process of the village panchayat elections from delimitation and reservation of the wards to the declaration of the results be entrusted to the state election commission. Giving more power to the gram sabha and abolishing parallel governance by state government agencies.
HERALD:The Panchayats have been often saying that there is no proper allotments of funds… Your take?
D’SOUZA: As far as the allotment of funds is concerned, any grant-in-aid or special grants given to the panchayat have to be done on the basis of the socio-economic health of the concerned village and should not be a blanket financial amount across all panchayats. There needs to be complete transparency in the allotment of funds to the panchayats which should not be based on the consideration of the concerned minister, MP, MLA or political party affiliations but should be on the basis of the village development plans submitted to the government. All state government funds should be channelized through the concerned Zilla Panchayat.
HERALD: There is growing resentment regarding interference of MLA and political parties in dictating the affairs of the Panchayats?
D’SOUZA: The governance of the village panchayats requires to be liberated from the dictates of the local MLAs, MPs and bureacrats who should limit their role to giving support if required and monitoring of the functioning of the panchayats. The sarpanch and the deputy sarpanch should not be treated like subordinates of the MLA and the government bureaucracy but should enjoy the protocol of being the head of the village.
HERALD: Do the Panchayats really use their powers or are they dictated by the government?
D’SOUZA: The state government has to respect the powers of the panchayats enlisted in Schedule 11 of the Constitution of India. The governing bodies of the panchayat also have to shed their beggars’ mentality and stop being agents of the local MLAs and allow them access to interfere in the affairs of the village panchayats. The gram sabha members have to be more serious and focused in ensuring that the constitutional powers of the village panchayats are respected by the state government and its agencies.
HERALD:The government cites rampant corruption in panchayats as necessitating interference to protect the citizens. What do you say in this matter?
D’SOUZA: The accusations of corruption by the state government does not legitimise the Centre in over taking control when it comes to respecting the democratic space of the village panchayts as enshrined in the Constitution. If at all corruption is taking place in panchayats, it is because of inadequate laws which do not provide required transparency and accountability in the various areas of functioning of the panchayats. The gram sabhas too are not given sufficient powers to pull up the governing body in case of irregularities and illegalities which are ignored by the panchayats.
