MARGAO
Raia Sarpanch Peter Quadros has on Thursday firmly denied the reported claim made by Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco that the Raia Panchayat has stopped providing services to citizens not paying the Panchayat taxes.
Addressing the media, the Raia Sarpanch asserted that the Panchayat has not denied any panchayat services to the citizens during his 10-month stint in office. He wondered why the Curtorim MLA did not bring to his notice complaints, if any, that the Panchayat had stopped providing services to the citizens for non-payment of tax “I am shocked and sad that the Curtorim MLA has preferred to raise an issue regarding the Raia village panchayat in the Assembly without seeking clarification from the Panchayat. That only goes to show the MLA’s intention of bringing the issue in the Assembly”, he said.
He added: “When the Panchayat staff bring before him documents, including certificates for my signature, I have never questioned whether the applicant has paid the panchayat tax or not. I only check the documents before issuing the certificates”, he added.
The Sarpanch said that the MLA might have been left perturbed after 70 students along with teachers, besides Panchayat members had gone to the Assembly on July 23 to watch the proceedings of the House. “It was at the initiative of social worker Roque Mascarenhas that the students and teachers, besides the Panchayat members got the opportunity to watch the Assembly proceedings. May be the Curtorim MLA was stunned after he saw the students and all of us in the Assembly”, he said, adding that a good MLA will never try to spoil the name of the village panchayat in his constituency.
