the goan I network
MAPUSA
Aldona panchayat has knocked the doors of the High Court after its request for reassessment of taxes in the village as per the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 was cold shouldered by the Director of Panchayats and the Block Development Officer (BDO).
In a writ petition before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the panchayat has prayed for issuing of a writ of mandamus or any other order directing the Director of Panchayats and the BDO to give necessary approval for the work of reassessment of tax and the expenditure sanction for the same.
As per the Panchayat Raj Act, every village has to undergo reassessment of taxes every five years for the purpose of generating revenue for the village panchayat.
Aldona panchayat had failed to undertake the reassessment exercise for more than 20 years which was also pointed by the auditors in its annual report for the last several years.
The present panchayat body led by Sarpanch Dipak Naik discussed the proposal and in its monthly meeting on March 26, 2018 resolved to go ahead with the plan to revise the House Tax in accordance with law.
Later, the gram sabha deliberated over the proposal and decided to allow Aldona panchayat to carry out the exercise of necessary assessment of House Tax.
Armed with the resolutions of the panchayat body and the gram sabha, the panchayat then appointed a private agency to collate information on reassessment of taxes and also to do digital mapping of the assessed data of the structures/houses in the village.
All along the panchayat kept the Director of Panchayats and the BDO in the loop apprising them of the resolutions taken and requesting for necessary administrative approval and expenditure sanction for the proposal.
“Since assessment was not done for more than 20 years, the said revenue would be of great help to the village panchayat for development of the village. Also the panchayat will have detailed records of the existing structures on account of digital mapping,” said Dipak Naik, Sarpanch.
But for almost eight months the panchayat could not make any headway on the proposal as the Director of Panchayats and the BDO were busy shooting letters among themselves on the issue.
Failure of communication and inaction on the part of Director of Panchayats and BDO prompted Aldona panchayat to file the present petition in the High Court.
Ready for any eventuality: Sarpanch
MAPUSA: Interestingly, the decision of Aldona panchayat to move the High Court against the government has raised eyebrows in the village especially because the panchayat body is known to be aligned to local MLA Glenn Ticlo.
Sources informed that the Aldona MLA was not on the same page as the panchayat on the reassessment of tax issue and was against increasing the house tax.
Aldona Sarpanch Dipak Naik said that his decision on the reassessment of tax was backed by the entire panchayat body and the resolution passed by the body on March 26, 2018 bears testimony to that effect.
Naik spoke in the negative when questioned whether his move to approach the High Court could have an impact on the panchayat body.
“In the interest of Aldona I am ready for any eventuality. I have worked day and night on the issue of reassessment of tax and I have done it with all sincerity,” Naik said.
