--------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. People must make DEMOCRACY work in Goa.The time is come for the people to ORGANISE not AGONISE !! -------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN puts forth demands of Gram Sabha members --------------------------------------------------------- On 31st March, on the eve of the new financial year of the Village Panchayats of Goa, Consumer Forum volunteers held a protest action near the office of the Dy. Director of Panchayats to highlight the many pending demands of the Gram Sabha members. Armed with black flags and placards, the protest action by the Consumer Forum Volunteers was held under the banner of GOACAN. Later a delegation comprising of Consumer Forum Representatives, Mr. Olencio Fernandes (Nuvem), Mr. Augustine Rodrigues (Seraulim), Mr. Conrad D’souza (Davorlim), Mr. Dominic Rosario Fernandes (Navelim) alongwith Mr. Roland Martins of GOACAN met Smt. Shabari Manjrekar, Dy. Director of Panchayats (South) and presented a 10 point memorandum highlighting the demands of the Gram Sabha Members. Among the issues discussed were the need for all Village Panchayats to have fulltime Secretaries and the importance of a review of the performance of the Panchayat Secretaries, irregular convening of the Gram Sabhas, delay in setting up Mandatory Committees and obstacles to their functioning, lack of guidance to members of the Committees to be set up under various Acts, delay in setting up of Ward Development Committees (WDC), organising of Open House sessions at the Panchayat level for every Taluka in South Goa, popularizing the BDO Complaint Boxes as a Grievance Redressal Mechanism, Provision & Public Access to log books with tabulated formats and block-wise training to be given to gram sabha members in conducting Social Audits. The delegation also reiterated the stand of the Consumer Forums that the Goa Panchayat Raj Act must not be amended so as to provide sweeping powers to the Panchayat Secretaries and the Directorate of Panchayats should take appropriate steps to ensure that the Block Development Officers (BDOs) be divested of the responsibility as Protection Officer under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act so that they can devote their full attention to the needs of the Village Panchayats in their jurisdiction. Smt. Manjrekar assured the delegation that she would take up the issues with the concerned authorities in the Directorate of Panchayats and hold consultations with the BDOs in South Goa so as to provide a response in a month. ------------------------------------------------------------ GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ----------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ----------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto:[email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------
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