Gram sabha backs rejection of proposal over access road issue
SHOW OF HANDS: Members of the Navelim gram sabha raising their hands in support of a resolution opposing the housing project proposed at Ratwaddo.
MARGAO
The gram sabha of Navelim village panchayat on Sunday has vehemently opposed the housing project, comprising of 16 flats and villas proposed at the Ratwaddo ward of the village.
The meeting also saw gram sabha member Roshni Rodrigues questioning Sarpanch Paul Pereira over the employment of temporary clerks without wide publicity.
The controversial housing project at Ratwaddo figured at the Sunday gram sabha chaired by Sarpanch Pereira when members demanded that the panchayat reject the application seeking licence for the project. They pointed out that the panchayat is within its powers to reject the project since there’s no six-metre road leading to the project site.
Sarpanch Pereira explained to the gram sabha members that the panchayat has not issued licence for the project even though the TCP has issued technical clearance for the project. He said site inspection conducted by the panchayat had revealed that there’s no six-metre existing road at the site, adding that the site in question also falls in low-lying area.
The gram sabha raised their hands in support of their demand for the rejection of the housing project.
Gram sabha member Roshni Rodrigues raised the issue of employment of clerks, alleging that the panchayat did not conduct the mandatory formalities. She further alleged that the kith and kin of the panchayat members have been employed as temporary clerks, denying opportunity for the educated unemployed in the village.
The sarpanch sought to clarify that the panchayat had informed the authorities about the decision to employ the two clerks purely as a temporary measure.
