Dear Mauricio, 1) How can Panchas be different than MLAs? Are not most Panchas chamchas of the local MLAs? How many Panchas understand Panchayat Act? 2) Timing of assessment by Directorate of Panchayat raises eye-brows. This report was released after GBA gave the CM an ultimatum on three crital points. One of which is to incorporate the provisions under the 73rd and 74th amendments into the TCP Act. Is the CM, by pointing out that panchas are worse, trying to hoodwink GBA to dilute its stand? Rajendra Kakodkar Mauricio Pereira wrote THE RESULTS of the assessment conducted by the Directorate of Panchayats for the year 2009-10 is likely to be a big disappointment for those who swear by the 73rd and 74th amendment to the Constitution and wax eloquent about decentralised planning. The presumption being that Panchayats and civic bodies are less corrupt than the government of Goa and the Minister for Town and Country Planning. Directorate of Panchayats reveals that only one of the 180 panchayats, Mencurem-Dhumacen, had no complaints of illegal construction. The Directorate of Panchayats, in its assessment of the functioning of panchayats in the state, has provided for negative marks for panchayats against whom there are complaints of encouraging illegal construction. Panchayats which have one to twenty complaints of illegal construction get one negative mark; those against whom there are 21 to 40 complaints receive two negative marks; those against whom there are 41 to 60 complaints get three negative marks and panchayats which have 50 or more complaints of illegal construction get four negative marks. The extent of illegal constructions encouraged aided and abetted by the panchayats is dramatised by the fact that the 180 panchayats taken together have 1106 negative marks.
