THE GOAN NETWORK
CANACONA
In a surprise turn of events, four of the seven panch members have moved a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Agonda Sarpanch Prettal Fernandes.
According to reliable sources, the NCM signed by group leader Dhavalkhazan panch Nilesh Gokuldas Pagi, former sarpanch and Igrej-vall ward panch Fatima Rodrigues, former deputy sarpanch and Dessaiwada panch Canisha Fernandes and Karashir-moll panch Ramnath Purso Velip was submitted to the Block Development Officer, Canacona on Friday morning.
While Nilesh Pagi is from the ruling group, the other two panchas from the ruling group, Dy Sarpanch Karuna K Phaldesai and John Fernandes, are not the signatories to the NCM.
In the NCM, Prettal Fernandes has been accused of not taking the panchas into confidence while transacting panchayat business, not undertaking development work in the Panchayat and hardly being present in the panchayat.
According to sources, if and when the NCM is passed, Nilesh G Pagi is most likely to take over as the new sarpanch.
Incidentally, Prettal had twice represented Agonda panchayat at the national level at Delhi and had been recently appointed on the Sarpanch Samvaad Advisory Committee (SSAC). Fernandes is the first and only sarpanch from Goa in the designated members from 17 states of India along with institutional members from Quality Council of India.
She had earlier represented Goa at the World Environment Day (WED-2023) celebrations at New Delhi in June 2023. She had also received the ‘Clean and Green’ category national panchayat Award-2023 after Agonda panchayat is shortlisted by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India.
