PORVORIM
With the Socorro panchayat presently without a sarpanch and deputy sarpanch, the panch members who had recently ousted sarpanch Sandeep Vazarkar and his deputy sarpanch have expressed apprehensions over the delay in convening a meeting to elect the new sarpanch and deputy.
Vazarkar and Deputy Sarpanch Vaishally Satardekar were voted out of office in a no-confidence motion passed by 6-0 votes in the 11-member panchayat on October 5.
Those voting in favour of the motion were Anil Pednekar, Sandeep Manjrekar, Reshma Morajkar, Maya Keni, Sanjay Pednekar and Rovlu Parsekar, while Vazarkar, Satardekar and three other panchas Dittosa Lobo, Sheetal Arolkar and Kirti Kudnekar did not attend the meeting.
Panch Sandeep Manjrekar, who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion, told reporters that authorities were delaying in convening a meeting to elect the new sarpanch for Socorro Panchayat.
“We apprehend the delay is deliberate with the intention to seek time to influence our panch members and reinstate Vazarkar as sarpanch. However, none of our panch members will fall prey to such tactics as we strongly stand by our decision to oust the sarpanch in the no-confidence motion. Our fight is against inefficiency and corruption,” said Manjrekar. “Authorities were quick to convene a meeting when the Salvador do Mundo sarpanch was ousted, but the process is going on at snail’s pace in the case of Socorro panchayat.”
He claimed that the administrator appointed to the panchayat in the absence of the sarpanch and deputy has been visiting the VP office only for half an hour.
“This is complete interference by authorities in this process. If there is further delay to convene a meeting to elect the sarpanch and deputy, the panch members will hold corner meetings across all 11 wards of panchayat and will expose the government,” warned Manjrekar.
