the goan I network
MARGAO
Do empty chairs at gram sabha meets signify that all is well at the village panchayat?
This question came to the fore at the gram sabha of the Curtorim village panchayat on Sunday, which saw a thin attendance.
In fact, empty chairs greeted the acting Sarpanch Simon Baretto, who chaired the meeting in the absence of the regular Sarpanch Rui Menezes.
That’s not all. Though the Curtorim village panchayat is a 11-member body, hardly three panch members, including the acting Sarpanch, is believed to have attended the gram sabha.
When The Goan called up the acting Sarpanch to shed light on the poor turn out at the meeting, Simon said it only goes to show that people have no issues to raise at the gram sabha and that members are happy with the functioning of the body. “If people had issues to raise at the gram sabha, they could have attended the meeting. I feel the people have no issues to raise at the gram sabha and hence the poor turnout,” he
added.
Gram sabha member and convenor of Goa Panchayati Raj Institutions, J Santan Rodrigues pointed out that the chair wanted to wind up the meeting immediately after confirming the minutes on grounds that there are no development proposals nor any subject for discussion.
“I brought to the notice of the Chair that the points raised by him at the previous gram sabha were not recorded at all and demanded an explanation. I suspect that it was a deliberate attempt not to record what I spoke at the last meeting,” he said. Incidentally, Santan claimed that only five gram sabha members and three panch members were present at the meeting, even as the acting Sarpanch has put the number of gram sabha members, who attended today’s meeting to around 50.
