the goan I network
MARGAO
Nearly five months ago on January 20 last, South Goa Zilla Panchayat Chairperson Navnath Naik assured Zilla Panchayat members that he would take up with the government to revive the defunct District Planning Committee (DPC) and get the draft district plan in place as per the Constitutional Amendment.
This was followed by assurances handed out by South Goa Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Pandarinath Naik that he would convene a meeting of the District Planning Committee headed by the Zilla Chairperson Navnath Naik and set in motion the process to put in place the draft development plan.
Five months now and neither the promise handed out by the Zilla Chairperson has changed the ground reality nor the meeting of the DPC promised by the CEO has become a reality till date.
When The Goan called up CEO Pandarinath Naik to shed light on his failure to convene a meeting of the DPC, leaving alone taking any call to kick-start the exercise, he attributed the delay to his ill health, saying that he is down with illness. Naik said he would look into the issue after his health condition improves, adding that he has sought details from former ZP chairperson Nelly Rodrigues how to go about the job.
Pandarinath’s stand assumes significance as the District Planning Committees are statutory committees mandated under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, giving no room for officials to take decisions on their whims and fancies, but to go as per the letter and spirit of the law envisaged under Article 243ZD of the Constitution of India.
What’s interesting to note is that while Zilla Panchayat Chairperson Navnath Naik had taken charge of office in 2015, the DPC, South has remained defunct since then, with not a single meeting held to discuss the modalities of inviting draft developmental plans from the Municipalities, panchayats and the Zilla Panchayat. Leave alone the Panchayat and Municipal bodies, even the Zilla Panchayat headed by Navnath Naik has not prepared the draft development plan and submitted to the DPC for consolidation into a draft development plan for the district.
When the ZP Chairperson was quizzed by the members on January 20, the beleaguered Chairperson only tried to point accusing fingers at the government for not placing funds and manpower at the disposal of the DPC to conduct the proceedings.
Convenor of Goa PRI’s J Santan Rodrigues has lamented over the lack of interest shown by the South Goa ZP Chairperson and CEO to revive the DPC and set in motion the process to prepare a draft development plan. “It is sad that a CEO has cited ill health as the reason behind his failure to convene a meeting of the DPC. The Panchayat Minister and the Director of Panchayats should take cognizance of the situation and should act accordingly,” Santan demanded.
The Constitution of India provides the DPCs two specific responsibilities, to put in place the draft development plan, having regard to matters of common interest between the Panchayats and the Municipalities including spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation and the extent and type of available resources, both financial or otherwise.
In his endeavour, the DPC is also mandated to consult such institutions and organizations as may be specified.
