the goan I network
SANGUEM
In yet another bid to resolve the unusual situation in Netravali which presently has two sarpanchas, the Director of Panchayats (DoP) Gopal Parsekar has now issued an office memorandum to the Sanguem Block Development Officer to instruct the recently elected sarpanch to vacate her post to enable the reinstated sarpanch to take charge.
The peculiar situation at the Netravali panchayat arose when Sarpanch Rajani Gaonkar and Deputy Sarpanch Abhijit Desai were suspended from their respective posts and also from the membership of the Netravali panchayat by the DoP in February.
The sarpanch and deputy sarpanch were suspended as members after they were accused of collecting toll from the public to enter Netravali village without valid procedures and for siphoning funds collected under the guise of entry fees.
Aggrieved with the order passed by the DoP, Rajani Gaonkar and Abhijit Desai challenged the DoP order in the district court, which later set aside and quashed the order passed by the DoP.
However, while the matter was before the district court, the DoP in March had issued directions to the Sanguem BDO to conduct fresh elections to the post of sarpanch and deputy sarpanch.
Accordingly, the BDO conducted fresh elections and Archana Gaonkar was elected sarpanch. However, the post of deputy sarpanch remained vacant as there were no nominations for the post.
The district court later quashed and set aside the order passed by the DoP against Rajani Gaonkar and Abhijit Desai.
Given the order passed by the district court in June, the DoP in a letter dated September 16 had directed the Sanguem BDO to comply and pave the way for Rajani Gaonkar and Abhijit Desai to occupy the post of Sarpanch and Deputy Sarpanch respectively, while simultaneously directing the officer to instruct Archana Gaonkar to step down from the post of Sarpanch.
However, Archana Gaonkar continued to hold the post and this prompted the DoP to issue an office memorandum dated October 18 instructing the Sanguem BDO to direct her to vacate.
However, sources have said there is no specific provision by which the BDO is empowered to direct Archana Gaonkar to step down from the post of sarpanch.
