When will p'yat meet be called to elect Sarpanch, dy sarpanch?
MARGAO
Even as the South Goa district Court has quashed and set aside the disqualification order of Salcete Block Development Officer, disqualifying the four Rumamol Panchayat members, Director of Panchayats Siddhi Harlankar is back under public lens.
Reason: The Rumdamol Panchayat is ruled by a government-appointed Administrator for over a month now since Sarpanch Mubina Faniband and deputy Mustafa Dodamani had tendered their resignation to pave way for members of the majority five-member ruling group to occupy the two posts as per their understanding.
After the district Court set aside the disqualification of the four panchayat members, Mubina Faniband, Samiulla Faniband, Mustafa Dodamani and Zubeda Agasar, all eyes are now focussed on the Panchayat Director – when will the Panchayat Director call for a meeting of the Panchayat to elect a new sarpanch and a deputy sarpanch?
While setting aside the disqualification order, the South Goa district Court had remanded back the disqualification matter to the Salcete BDO for fresh proceedings and decision. As per the Court’s order, the Salcete BDO is mandated to start the proceedings against the four panchayat members as per the complaint lodged by one Mukesh Naik from September 1.
This brings to the fore the contentious question – whether the Panchayat Director will immediately call for the election of the new Sarpanch or whether the Director will wait for the proceedings before the Salcete BDO to conclude before taking a call to convene a meeting to elect a new Sarpanch?
The last time the Panchayat Director had called the meeting to elect a new Sarpanch of Rumdamol Sarpanch was on July 29 by fixing the election on August 4 – a day after the Salcete BDO had disqualified the four ruling Panchayat members on July 28.
The disqualification order was later stayed by the South district Court on July 29 paving the way for the four panchayat members to participate in the election. Elections, however, did not take place on August 4 as per the Panchayat Director’s order on ground that the Presiding officer appointed by the BDO and the reserve Presiding Officer, both played truant after complaining of ill health.
Salcete BDO-II Adarsh Desai, who had disqualified the four Panchayat members also made his presence felt at the Rumdamol Panchayat ghar on August 4 well past the process of filling of nomination papers lapsed.
“Despite the people of Rumdamol electing the Panchayat members, the Panchayat is ruled by an Administrator. First, the Panchayat Director did not convene a meeting of the Panchayat for two months to elect a new Sarpanch. It was only after the BDO disqualified the four Panchayat members, the Director called the election, which again did not take place after the Presiding officers played truant”, a member of the majority group of the Rumdamol panchayat asserted.
