Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service & circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network (GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-I ------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Joaquim Fernandes
In Goa's faction-ridden panchayati raj, what happens if the majority deprives the minority of any development work? Can the higher authorities - the block development officer, the director of panchayats or even the Minister for Panchayat, all guardians of our panchayati raj - help the minority opposition when they repeatedly plead for redress?
Here is a story of one such opposition member from the seven-member Pilerne-Marra panchayat in Bardez. In the last panchayat elections (January 2002), Ms Fatima Fernandes, a housewife from Pilerne-Marra contested as a younger candidate against the candidate of the village sarpanch, Mr Ramakant Malik. And won. Since then, she claims that all development work has been denied to her ward. She alleges harassment and ridicule by the sarpanch and the panchayat secretary.
In despair, she has been writing to the authorities seeking redressal to her grievances. Since February 6, Ms Fernandes has written 23 letters to the Bardez Block Development Officer (BDO), Mapusa, five letters to the Director of Panchayats, three letters to the Chief Minister, besides letters to the Chief Secretary and the Minister for Panchayats.
She has also written to her own sarpanch, panchayat secretary, and works-related letters to the engineers of the Electricity and Water departments. Interestingly, most of the letters are co-signed by another panch member, Mr Sandeep Bandodkar, who like Ms Fernandes, won against the official candidate of the sarpanch, says Mr Fernandes.
No response has been forthcoming from the authorities, she claims. Nor has any action been taken to address their grievances. "Despite repeated requests, no work is being done in my ward. With no one to check them, the sarpanch and the panchayat secretary continue to harass me and to flout rules," alleges Ms Fernandes.
One important issue she has raised is the panchayat secretary issuing incomplete notices of agenda to be transacted at fortnightly meeting. In a complaint to the chief secretary dated August 8, 2002, Ms Fernandes and Mr Bandodkar state that the secretary should give details of business to be transacted so that members can come prepared. The files are placed in the meetings at the last minute to cause favour to some. The Extension Officer Village Panchayat (EOVP) attached to the BDO who is supposed to conduct inspection of records has not done anything to correct this blatant violation of law, the letter states.
Ms Fernandes has complained against inconvenient timings of meetings, the secretary not writing the minutes on the same day, not being allowed to check panchayat files and the sarpanch stopping the linesman from putting streetlights in her ward.
Ms Fernandes also alleges that at least on two occasions resolutions she had got passed for works in her ward, were neither typed nor forwarded to the higher authorities by the panchayat secretary, Mr K V Halarnkar, despite claiming otherwise."He cannot give me copies even after 24 days of the resolution being passed. The secretary is misguiding me," she writes.
Along with Mr Sandeep Bandodkar, she has also pointed out irregularities by the sarpanch. They say the sarpanch appointed the working committee without discussing it in the monthly body meeting. Alleging that the working committee are all his personal friends, the duo request the BDO to instruct the sarpanch to re-elect the working committee by putting the matter in the monthly meeting.
Ms Fernandes also complained of irregularities in the construction of steps
for Ganesh idol immersion at Saulem lake. "In my presence, your engineer
Mr. Asnodkar confessed that somebody had already constructed the steps.
Yet the panchayat floated tender for the construction of steps for Rs 1,04,250.66.
Please confirm what action you have taken in this matter,"which she describes
as a "big fraud and scam."
On April 29, 2003, Ms Fernandes wrote to the chairperson of the Goa State Women's Commission complaining that "BDO Bardez claims that he is helpless and has advised me to meet the Chief Minister. The director of panchayat gives me other excuses." ------------------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 6/7/03 page 1 -------------------------------------------------
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