MARGAOJust imagine a situation whenthe constitutionally-mandateddistrict planning committeeswere notified in Goaaround two decades ago andthe draft guidelines on theformation of the district planare being initiated 20 yearslater.Neither were any guidelinesor rules in place allthese years to guide the localpanchayats, municipalitiesand the district planningcommittees how to go aboutformulating the district plannor was a time-frame fixed forthese local bodies to formulateand submit the plan inthese two
decades.Thanks to the High Courtorder in a petition filed byMargao-based United GoansFoundation, the Goa Instituteof Public Administration &Rural Development (GIPARD)has set in motion the processto put in place guidelines forthe formation of the districtplan by the DPC.Headed by Director (Training),Michael M D’Souza, GIPARDhas come out with draftguidelines on the formation ofdistrict plan by the DPC andthe draft has been forwardedto the Secretary (Panchayats),Secretary (Urban Development),Director of Panchayatsand Director of Municipal Administrationfor suggestions.GIPARD, sources said, hascome in the picture with thedraft guidelines after SouthGoa Zilla Panchayat CEO AgneloFernandes wrote a letterto the agency to conducta training programme on theannual development plan aspart of the DPC process andto formulate the draft districtplan.Whether the draft guidelineswill find favour withthe Secretary, Panchayat andUrban Development or theDirector, Panchayats and DirectorUrban Development remainsto be seen. But GIPARDhas asked these four top officialsheading the local grassrootsdevelopment bodies toperuse the draft guidelinesand give their suggestions andfurther amendments/modificationso that the agency canorganise deliberations, meetings/workshops on the sameand assist in its final outcomefor suitable notification.Michael has pointed outthat while these top four authoritiesdeliberate and submittheir suggestions on thedraft, a process can be set inmotion simultaneously forcreating training module onDPC process and draft districtplan preparations to impartneed-based training to thefunctionaries at rural localbodies (RLBs) and urban localbodies (ULBs) besides sectoralgovernment departments.GIPARD’s exercise assumessignificance and comesagainst the backdrop of HighCourt order based on the UnitedGoans Foundation’s PIL,wherein it became apparentthat no rules have been frameunder the Panchayat Raj Act,1994, with regard to the dateor the form in which the developmentplan is required to beprepared by every panchayatevery year.In fact, the High Court hadobserved that though it wasinformed that some form hasbeen provided by the government,there is nothing onrecord to indicate that suchform has been prescribedby the government in termsof the rules framed underthe Panchayat Raj Act, 1994.Similarly, the High Court hadobserved there is no date prescribedby the governmentbefore which the developmentplans have to be submittedby every panchayat to theZilla Panchayat.
