-- Samir Umarye
BICHOLIM: The Advalpal gram sabha on Sunday witnessed unruly scenes over issuing of NOCs and house numbers to people from outside the village while denying the same to the villagers. Police personnel had to be stationed outside the hall. Huge crowd attended the meeting in which the villagers came down heavily on the five-member panchayat for issuing NOCs and house numbers to the people from outside the village while denying the same to the villagers. A villager, Nandan Parab, and his group under RTI had collected several documents from the panchayat that clearly stated that the panchayat and the secretary had issued NOCs to some persons without any documents and in some cases even to those who did not have any house in the plot. There was commotion as another group tried to support the panchayat and tried to speak in between. Police force was also called to avoid any untoward incident. The villagers came down heavily on Sarpanch Lakshata Desai for the NOCs issued and also for denying NOCs to some genuine persons from the village. “There are about three families who got houses under Indiar Aawas Yojna (IAY), but they are yet to get house numbers or electricity connections,” claimed Parab. Gurunath Gaonkar who had got a house under IAY questioned the panchas why he was denied NOCs for last one-and-half year. The villagers forced the panchayat to accept the demand and give NOCs to the villagers. The sarpanch assured that a house number would be provided to the villagers if there are no objections from any other party.
