the goan I network
PANAJI
Accused by the Opposition of attempting to centralise power and dilute the Panchayati Raj Act, the government on Wednesday retreated on the issue of the circular which sought to bypass village panchayats in the matter of issuing construction licences and occupancy certificates to multi-dwelling projects.
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho announced that the government has decided to withdraw the circular for now and set up the infrastructure and systems to manage garbage in the rural areas first.
“It was a good measure, but after the reactions we have acknowledged that the time is not right. We will first set up a technical section and a system for garbage management,” Godinho said.
He, however, said panchayats will have to pull up their socks and get their act together in dealing with the issue of garbage management because of which the circular was issued.
The circular was issued last week by the Directorate of Panchayats. It mandated that all proponents of projects with more than four dwelling units or commercial projects of greater than 200 square meters built-up area had to route their applications through the Block Development Officer and the Directorate of Panchayats.
At the time of announcing the circular, Godinho had said it was issued detailing procedures to apply for construction licences and occupancy certificates to ensure that measures needed to be put in place for managing garbage that will be generated by these projects are ensured.
Godinho had also said that a National Green Tribunal fiat on garbage management in villages had prompted the government to take the decision since the record of the local self-governing bodies was poor.
“Let the people judge whether they (panchayats) are right or the government was on this matter,” Godinho said, adding that on the issue of managing garbage the panchayats have been
the butt of public criticism for decades.
None-the-less grassroots level politicians who control panchayats in the State reacted sharply to the circular claiming it is a move of the State-level politicians to dilute panchayat’s powers.
A conglomerate of a section of panchayat functionaries from across the State, led by long-time former sarpanch of Calangute Joseph Sequeira, had also teamed up with the Opposition Congress party to oppose the government’s move.
It had announced the launching of an awareness campaign across the State on Monday but now will have to take no such trouble with Godinho announcing the circular’s withdrawal altogether.
