the goan I network
MAPUSA
For almost 140 days, the Moira panchayat has been functioning without the service of the sarpanch with deft political manoeuvring.
It all began on May 29 when then sarpanch Riya Belekar was voted out of office by a group of panch members led by Deputy Sarpanch Oswald Cordeiro.
Deputy Sarpanch Oswald Cordeiro then ran the show in Moira panchayat as acting sarpanch for almost 114 days even as the Director of Panchayat (DoP) refused to convene a meeting to hold the election of the sarpanch.
Coming under an intense media glare, the DoP finally called a meeting for the election of the sarpanch on September 20.
Surprisingly, the same member who was voted out in a no-confidence motion was re-elected as sarpanch of the village. But that is not the end of the story.
Within days after getting elected to the top post, the sarpanch went on medical leave and continues to be out of office till today.
In the meanwhile, once again Deputy Sarpanch Oswald Cordeiro got an opportunity to take over the reins of the sarpanch of the village.
When contacted, Sarpanch Riya Belekar said that within eight days after taking office she went on leave.
“I am on medical leave for last one month. I am expected to join office soon,” Belekar said.
But residents in the village informed that Riya Belekar has been as fit as a cucumber and has been attending to all her daily chores. “There is more than meets the eyes. Shrewd politics is at play to keep women out of the top post,” a former panch member said.
“We know what is happening in the panchayat. A lot of constructions are coming up in the village. One construction has come up on the banks of the Moira River. Most of the plots are bought by non-Goans,” an active resident of the village said on condition of anonymity.
Attempts to contact Deputy Sarpanch Oswald Cordeiro were futile as his cell phone was not reachable.
Incidentally, the sarpanch’s post in Moira panchayat has been reserved for woman.
The seven-member panchayat has only two women members “ Riya Belekar and Pooja Chari.
