the goan I network
MARGAO
Bombay High Court’s directives to the government to get the Panchayat Director to implement the provisions of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, which stipulate submission of development plans to the District Planning Committee (DPC), may ring in good news for those rooting for bottom-to-top planning and strengthening of grassroots institutions.
Plans received by the District Planning Committee (DPC) from the zilla panchayats, panchayat and municipal bodies may, however, remain only on paper despite the court directions for want of logistics support at the disposal of the ZPs and the DPC.
Reason: The DPC is mandated under the Constitutional Amendment to consolidate the plans received from the ZPs, panchayat and municipal bodies and submit a draft district plan to the government for consideration every year.
The ground reality, however, indicates that there’s no logistics support with the DPC, leaving these defunct bodies to confine the plans received from the panchayats to the cupboards.
In fact, it has been eight years since the South Goa Zilla Panchayat had knocked the doors of the government through the Director of Panchayats with a proposal to sanction the necessary staff required to prepare estimates of the works proposed by the ZPs, panchayats and municipal bodies before the consolidated draft district plan is forwarded to the government.
After the proposal indicating the requirements of office staff/experts for constituting the DPC cell was first sent to the Panchayat Director exactly eight years ago, the South Goa ZP had made then made several reminders to the government, but in vain.
Around six years ago, a reminder was again made by then South Goa Chief Executive Officer K V Signapurkar on November 26, 2014, with a complete proposal, with the number of staff required to man the DPC cell along with the financial liability towards manpower. The financial liability towards the manpower was pegged at around Rs 15.66 lakh six years ago.
The proposal had mooted technical staff for constituting the DPC cell, which includes an assistant engineer, junior engineer, draftsman, lower divisional clerks and data operators.
On January 29 last, incumbent Chief Executive Officer Agnelo Fernandes dashed off a fresh letter to the Panchayat Director making a strong case for the sanctioning of logistics support towards the working of the defunct DPC.
In his letter, Agnelo reminded the Panchayat Director that the main task of the DPC is that every panchayat, ZP and municipal council within the area of South Goa district has to prepare a five-year plan, an annual plan and submit the same to the District Planning Committee of the district.
Officials at the South Goa Zilla Panchayat pointed out that the High Court directions may indeed give a fresh lease of life for the defunct DPCs, only if the government sanctions the bare minimum manpower at the disposal of the Zilla Panchayats to prepare the district plan.
