(Herald, 27/11/09) The news reports that Goa Government and Local Self-Governments having hosted a civic reception for the visiting President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil, sounded more like a mega joke. Since when has the Goa Government recognised the existence of local self-governments in the State? When the Goa Government through its ministers claims that the Panchayat bodies and the Gram Sabhas have no powers to decide on development issues, which local self-governments is it talking about? This hypocritical stance of the Goa Government was exposed by the lack lustre attendance at the felicitation ceremony. Does the Chief Minister and Panchayat Minister of Goa know the meaning of 'local self-government'? The only local self-governments that Goa Government seems to recognise are the institutions of commerce and industry and the confederation of real estate developers. What we have in the rural areas are Village Panchayat Agencies that promote schemes OF the Government, scams BY the local politicians and construction projects FOR the builders. Even the Goa Law Commission in its recent recomendations to Goa Government finds nothing wrong with powers of a civil servant like the Director of Panchayats superceding those of duly elected members of the Village Panchayat. 'Local Self-Governments' begin with Article 243G of the Constitution of India and also end there itself, because legal experts and politicians choose to interpret the term as per their convenience.
- Soter D'Souza
