VASCO
The Bogmalo Panchayat has shifted to a nearby Anganwadi centre after work to demolish the old Panchayat Ghar began.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bogmalo Sarpanch Sankalp Mahale said a new Panchayat Ghar (ground plus three floors) will come up at the same place and work on the project would start soon.
"The old panchayat Ghar was constructed in 2004 and we have demolished the structure to have a new state-of-the-art Panchayat Ghar. The new Panchayat Ghar was proposed by Panchayats Minister and our MLA Mauvin Godinho and will be taken under the Deen Dayal Panchayat Infrastructure Scheme which has already approved Rs 3 crore. Godinho has also approved an additional Rs 50 lakh under a special approval,” said Mahale.
“Costa family, the land owner, has also helped us by making land available to us during the tenure of previous Sarpanch Lorena Cunha. The family gifted us 750 sq mtrs of this land while we purchased another 280 sq mtrs land from the family with the help of philanthropist and industrialist Suvarna Bandekar who helped us with Rs 10 lakh under CSR.”
Mahale said the panchayat obtained all permissions from all competent authorities, including the MPDA and Navy, for the new Panchayat Ghar, before beginning work to demolish the old Panchayat Ghar.
“We are a low income panchayat and Chicalim Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav is helping us with the demolition work of the old Panchayat Ghar,” said Mahale.
Mahale said the new ground plus three Panchayat Ghar which will have shops on the ground floor, panchayat office on the first floor, library and gym on the second floor and a community hall on the third floor.
“We have now shifted our panchayat to the nearby Anganwadi centre in the Primary school premises. The UCO Bank housed in the Panchayat Ghar has been shifted to Gallint area of Bogmalo. We also had a post office and that is also shifted to the Anganwadi centre. We have shifted on Saturday and all the process will be streamlined in a matter of three to four days.”
He informed that work on the new Panchayat Ghar will start within two months and the project will be completed in two years time.
“We may have to adjust during Gram Sabhas or may be, move to every ward and have Gram Sabha in open spaces till the new Panchayat Ghar is built,” said Mahale.
“We are planning to have a gym, library and hall in the new building and we are also trying to see if we can accommodate a health centre, electricity department and other facilities in the new building so that we can offer a one-stop solution and offer all services at one single building for the villagers.”
