MARGAO
Congress leader Elvis Gomes has said that the cohesion shown by the gram sabha members of Loutolim on Sunday, where the panchayat is opposing a proposal for a jetty, is a commendable effort and should serve as a case study for other villages to do likewise to meet the aspirations of the locals.
He said that bowing down to the wishes of the locals, the Loutolim panchayat had, last Sunday, called for an extraordinary gram sabha to discuss the proposal for a jetty which villagers claimed was being pushed through the Captain of Ports Department without any proper information about its use and impact on the village as it is claimed that the jetty was being pushed against the wishes of the people to facilitate coal transport.
Gomes, who has held charge of Director of Panchayats in the past said that how villagers participated in large numbers in the proceedings with the elected body also agreeing with the views of the villagers, was highly commendable as being truly reflective of what was envisaged by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was the architect of the Panchayati Raj system that was meant to empower people.
He said that the BJP government’s meek submission to the central command to surrender control over villages to the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) was already sounding a death knell to the harmonious living of people making them lose what he called their cherished ‘ganvponn’.
Gomes said that if other elected members take a cue from Loutolim and resist ‘farmans’ coming from heavyweight politicians that go against the interest of the people, Goa will be saved by its people.
Meanwhile, Gomes said that nobody was against investment in the State if it serves the interests of people and takes them into confidence.
Saying that large tracts of land are being sold through fraudulently in connivance with government authorities who enjoy political protection, Gomes said that a coordinated effort by the panchayats and the gram sabha will work wonders to preserve the character of the villages from undue interference by land sharks who come from outside the state, with only their commercial interests in mind.
