MAPUSA
Facing questions over the failure of nearly one-fourth of State's village panchayats to conduct the mandatory gram sabhas in the first quarter of the financial year, the Directorate of Panchayats has said it will seek reports from the respective Block Development Officers (BDOs) and ensure that the defaulting panchayats convene the pending meetings.
Reacting to the report in The Goan, a senior official in the Directorate of Panchayats said the department was taking the matter seriously, while adding that the figures sourced from the NIRNAY portal may not present the complete picture because of technical issues in uploading data.
"We are viewing the matter seriously and will ask the BDOs in the respective areas to assess the situation and accordingly direct the defaulting panchayats to convene the missed gram sabhas," the official said. Under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, every village panchayat is required to hold gram sabhas at regular intervals, with the first meeting of the financial year expected to be held during the April-June quarter. The gram sabha is the highest decision-making body at the village level, providing residents with a platform to scrutinise the functioning of the panchayat, approve development works and pass resolutions on issues affecting the village.
According to the official, it is primarily the responsibility of the sarpanch, in consultation with other panchayat members, to convene the gram sabha.
If a panchayat fails to do so, the concerned BDO is expected to intervene and direct the panchayat to hold the meeting. The official cautioned that while the law makes gram sabhas mandatory, the Directorate generally first seeks an explanation for the lapse before initiating any further action.
"If there is no justifiable reason for not holding the gram sabha, the matter can be viewed very seriously because these meetings are mandatory under the law," the official said. However, the official admitted that the Goa Panchayat Raj Act does not prescribe any direct punitive action for a panchayat's failure to hold a gram sabha. "In exceptional cases, where a panchayat repeatedly fails to convene gram sabhas for two or three consecutive occasions, the Director of Panchayats can summon the sarpanch, seek an explanation and direct that the meeting be held immediately," the official said.
The Directorate also indicated that the data available on the NIRNAY portal may not accurately reflect the actual number of gram sabhas conducted.
The official said the Union Government has introduced a new digital platform on which every panchayat is required to upload details of gram sabha meetings. However, technical glitches in the system often prevent timely uploading of information.
