PANAJI
Following the strict rebuke from the Supreme Court, Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has initiated the process to rectify the anomalies in the reservation of wards in five municipalities.
DMA is likely to increase one ward each for women candidates in these municipal areas, to ensure one-third reservation for the category.
The State Election Commission (SEC) will announce the new poll schedule soon after the fresh reservation process for the municipalities of Margao, Mapusa, Mormugao, Sanguem and Quepem is over.
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the order of High Court of Bombay at Goa which had set aside the notification of reservation of wards in the five municipal areas, while directing DMA to rectify the errors and issue a fresh notification within ten days. SC has directed SEC to ensure completion of elections on or before April 30.
As per Section 9 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 not less than 1/3rd seats for women have to be reserved and to be allotted by rotation in different wards of municipal councils.
Sources in DMA said it has initiated the process to rectify the reservations in the municipal areas, where elections are set aside.
“We had already initiated the process after the high court order to ensure one-third reservation is given to women in the municipalities. One additional seat would be reserved for women in all the five councils,” a source said.
We are trying to remove all errors in the notification, said the source.
Considering the number of wards, in Mormugao, the total seats reserved for women should have been nine, as against the current eight seats; while seven in Mapusa, where currently six seats are reserved. In Sanguem too, the number of seats should have been four and not three.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Friday had said that the DMA would rectify errors committed during the reservation of wards in five municipal councils.
The government has also initiated a process to appoint an independent election commissioner as per directions of the Supreme Court.
