OLD GOA
The Merces gram sabha on Sunday saw heated arguments over the referral of the sopo collection tender to the BDO by the panchayat.
Local resident John Nazareth raised the issue and asked for details about the sopo collection tender and who it had been awarded to.
However, sarpanch Sushant Govekar said the matter was sent to the BDO for advice because the highest bidder had been a defaulter in the past. “We have now sent the issue to the BDO for further advise in the matter and once we receive the reply we will take appropriate decision,” Govekar said.
The villagers questioned whether a parent could be punished if their child was the defaulter.
“If the child, who is an adult and independent, is a defaulter how come the parent be punished?” asked local Tanoj Adwalpalkar, emphasising that a parent cannot be blamed for the child’s mistakes.
But sarpanch Govekar disagreed, saying that it was the defaulter himself who had bid for the tender.
The villagers were not convinced and insisted it was the parent who had made the highest bid for the sopo collection tender.
Meanwhile, the issue of chaotic parking in the village was discussed at length. Villagers pointed out many roadside areas turned into parking zones, which affected traffic movement.
The problem of sewage being released openly was also raised. Local resident Gabriel Braganza explained how he is affected by sewage flowing in his area.
“It is high time that the panchayat act against the violators and disconnect water and power supply as the issue is not resolved even after several assurances by the panchayat authorities in the past,” Braganza demanded.
Another recurring issue raised in past gram sabhas was the operation of scrapyards in residential areas.
Local Edwin Vaz criticised the panchayat for showing little concern, even after a major blast occurred at a scrapyard in Bamon Bhatt.
“Though the scrapyard is sealed we have proof that the owner has broken open the seal and is undertaking operations in the scrapyard. Further, there are many other scrapyards operational in the area and we do not know what types of materials are being handled there,” Vaz pointed out. He urged the panchayat to take strict action against unauthorised scrapyards, especially in residential areas, to prevent incidents like blasts.
The need for a tenant verification drive in the village was also highlighted. Villagers said many rooms are rented out but no verification of tenants has been done.
“Therefore, the panchayat and the police should hold a tenants verification drive in all the eleven wards of Merces so that the identity of the tenants is known,” a local said.
