the goan I network
MARGAO
When the Zilla Panchayats came into existence exactly two decades ago in the year 2000, they were either labelled as the line departments or repair divisions of government departments.
Reason: The district panchayat bodies were entrusted with the job of carrying out repairs to government primary schools, primary health centres et al, relegating these Constitutional bodies to any other line department.
Twenty-years down the line, the Zilla Panchayats has not evolved much to play their due powers and functions envisaged under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, thanks to successive government’s refusal to devolve powers, rendering them as any other panchayats and municipal bodies “ only content with executing works such as laying pavers, constructing small roads, repairing drains, providing equipment to gymnasiums et al.
In fact, a glance at the development works carried out by the South Goa Zilla Panchayat during the current 2015-20 term in South district provides an insight on the nature of the work executed by the elected members during the five-year term. It is revealed that there was no dearth of projects executed by the South Goa panchayat. Sadly, while the South ZP panchayat received a government grant of Rs 48 crore as a whole did not create any major asset in its jurisdiction during the term, with the government grant mostly utilised for minor works such as constructions and repairs, extensions of existing projects and laying of interlocking pavers and road constructions.
In fact, name them, and one would come across development works such as construction of roads, repair of roads, construction of stage and rooms, retaining walls, providing gymnasium equipments, supplying and fixing of RCC slabs, improvement of grounds, construction of compound walls, black topping of roads, etc, quite common in the panchayat and municipal jurisdiction.
With the South Goa Zilla Panchayat members guided by the principle that funds under the government grant is to be shared equally amongst the members, each of the 25 Zilla members have to their credit on an average around 30-40 development works executed in their respective constituencies.
An interesting feature of the development works implemented by the 25 members is that the estimated cost of most of the projects fell below the Rs 5 lakh figure. In fact, a glance at the records would show that while there was no dearth of projects taking shape across the 25 ZP constituencies, only a couple of works exceeded the Rs 5 lakh figure mark, indicating that no major asset could be created in the district out of the government grant.
In fact, one could come across only an odd-project, costing more than Rs 10 lakh in the list of development projects executed by the district panchayat body. Major works list of projects exceeding the Rs 10 lakh cost, includes construction of sheds for crematoriums or improvement in children’s parks and supplying play items, roads, besides equipment for the gymnasiums.
