MARGAO
Rumdamol continues to present an unusual picture — a village panchayat without a Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch, an Administrator at the helm, and gram sabha meetings that are increasingly described as a mere formality rather than a vibrant forum for grassroots participation.
Indeed, welcome to Rumdamol village panchayat, located on the outskirts of Margao in Salcete taluka, where grassroots democracy appears to have been placed on hold for nearly a year.
Unlike other village panchayats in Salcete and elsewhere in the State, Rumdamol has been functioning without an elected Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch. Instead, the panchayat has been under the charge of a government-appointed Administrator for the past one year — a situation that has raised questions over the functioning of an institution that is supposed to represent and empower people at the grassroots.
The absence of an elected leadership has also cast a shadow over the functioning of the gram sabha, with meetings reportedly concluding within minutes due to poor attendance and a lack of developmental proposals.
Sources say a section of gram sabha members has been staying away from the meetings, apparently on the grounds that there is no elected Sarpanch or Deputy Sarpanch to preside over the proceedings. In their absence, queries raised by those attending the meetings are being answered by the government-appointed Administrator.
The political uncertainty in Rumdamol, however, appears to have no immediate end in sight, which has now prompted a member Omran Khan to knock the doors of the Panchayat Director Dashrath Redkar seeking his intervention to take immediate steps to conduct the election to the vacant posts of Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch in accordance with the law and due procedure and restore democracy.
Inquiry into disqualification plea drags on
At the centre of the controversy is the disqualification plea filed against four Panchayat members – former Sarpanch Mubina Faniband, former Deputy Sarpanch Mustafa Dodmani, Samuilla Faniband and Zubeda Agasar.
The four members and another member constitute a majority in the panchayat, making the outcome of the proceedings crucial to determining the future composition and functioning of the local body.
The inquiry into the disqualification plea is being conducted by Salcete Block Development Officer Adarsh Desai since August 22, 2025. However, questions are now being raised over the prolonged delay in concluding the proceedings and arriving at a decision.
The delay has also prompted questions over whether the authorities have taken into consideration the practical consequences of keeping the panchayat in limbo for such an extended period.
With the inquiry still pending, the political saga that has gripped Rumdamol panchayat over the past year appears far from over. What remains to be seen is whether the authorities will now move with urgency to
bring the proceedings to a conclusion and restore an elected leadership to the panchayat.
One year on, disqualification plea still pending
August 22 will mark one year since the South Goa District Court quashed and set aside the order passed by Salcete Block Development Officer (BDO) Adarsh Desai disqualifying four Rumdamol Panchayat members—former Sarpanch Mubina Faniband, former Deputy Sarpanch Mustafa Dodmani, Samuilla Faniband and Zubeda Agasar.
While setting aside the BDO’s order, Additional District and Sessions Judge Pooja Kavlekar remanded the matter to the Salcete BDO, directing him to reconsider the written arguments, re-hear the parties if necessary, and pass a reasoned order on the disqualification plea in accordance with the law. However, the proceedings have continued to drag on before the Salcete BDO for the past year.
Chronology of events
July 28, 2025: Salcete BDO-II Adarsh J Desai disqualifies four members from participation of any executive work of the panchayat with immediate effect upon a complaint filed by a resident of Khandepar-Usgao-Ponda Mukesh Naik
July 29, 2025: Panchayat Director Siddi Harlankar issues notice to hold election of new Sarpanch of Rumdamol panchayat on August 4
On the very same day, the four disqualified members challenged the BDO’s order before the South Goa District Court by filing a revision application seeking a stay on the order
August 2, 2026: South Goa District Court stayed the BDO’s order for 20 days and adjourned the hearing to August 16, making the four members eligible to participate in the August 4 election for the post of sarpanch and deputy sarpanch
August 4: the scheduled election could not take place after the Presiding Officer and the Reserve Officer appointed to hold the election played truant after complaining of ‘chest pain’ and ‘stomach upset’ respectively
August 7: High Court barred the four panchayat members from taking part in any proceedings of such meetings or be entitled to deliberate or vote at such meetings of the Village panchayat
The HC further observed that it may be desirable that the Director of Panchayats may keep elections for the post of sarpanch and deputy sarpanch in abeyance till orders are passed by the District Court on the Revision Application filed by the four members against the disqualification order passed by the Salcete BDO
The HC also observed that the District Court may endeavour to dispose of the petition preferably by August 22
August 22: The district court quashed and set aside the BDO’s order and remanded back the matter to the BDO to reconsider the written arguments and re-hear the parties if needed and pass a reasoned order as per the law
Rumdamol gram sabha struggles for participation, ends in minutes
MARGAO: Take a guess how long Sunday’s Rumdamol gram sabha meeting lasted? Just a couple of minutes.
The meeting was wound up almost immediately after the administration transacted the business listed on the agenda, with only four to five gram sabha members turning up. Panchayat members were conspicuous by their absence, while the meeting was chaired by government-appointed Administrator.
Panchayat Secretary Sanjeev Naik said the meeting concluded within minutes as there was hardly any business to transact. “Only four to five members turned up for the meeting. The Panchayat members were conspicuous by their absence. There were hardly any developmental proposals, apart from the issue concerning the late-night operation of business establishments,” the Panchayat Secretary told The Goan.
The brief meeting also left members of the media, who had gone to cover the gram sabha, taken aback. On reaching the Panchayat Ghar, they initially found the premises closed, only to learn that the meeting had already concluded within minutes due to lack of major agenda items and poor attendance.
May gram sabha was no different
The May 2026 gram sabha of the Rumdamol village panchayat followed much of the same pattern.
That meeting, too, lasted barely five minutes, with Administrator Pradeep Tamankar completing the listed business and winding up the proceedings.
The meeting was attended by hardly five members, and there were few questions or interventions from those present. As has been the usual trend, the required quorum was not present when the meeting was called to order. Following the customary adjournment, the business was taken up, including the passage of the budget estimates.
The recurring poor attendance and lack of participation have raised questions over the effectiveness of gram sabhas in Rumdamol, with meetings increasingly becoming brief exercises in completing the listed agenda rather than forums for wider public participation.
