Local resident Elsa Dias wears a black band over her mouth in protest after she was not allowed to speak at the Santa Cruz gram sabha on Sunday. Captured by : Manuel Vaz
OLD GOA
The Santa Cruz gram sabha on Sunday saw heated exchanges over the recent hike in house tax, with locals demanding that it be rolled back. The meeting also saw protests from some members who said they were not allowed to speak, accusing the sarpanch of acting in an autocratic manner.
Local MLA Rudolf Fernandes, who had raised the issue in the Assembly, attended the meeting and supported the demand to cancel the tax hike. “Not everybody is rich in Santa Cruz and there are some households where the people survive on government doles. Therefore, the panchayat should reconsider the hike in house tax so that the common man is not overburdened,” Fernandes urged.
However, Sarpanch Jennifer Olivera said the tax hike was as per the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, and those unable to pay could approach the panchayat for a review. She added that Santa Cruz had the smallest hike among the three panchayats in the constituency.
“If one looks at the hike of house tax in Merces and Chimbel panchayats, it is much more than Santa Cruz panchayat. We have hiked the least with Rs 15 per square metre,” Olivera said.
Locals also objected to the steep increase in the house tax transfer fee. “Rupees 25,000 for house tax transfer is too high and should be rolled back,” local resident Mariano Araujo demanded.
Ruling panchayat members countered Araujo, claiming the hike was introduced during his term. Araujo denied this, saying he was not present at the meeting when it was approved. Tensions rose further over claims that proposals were being rejected and members were being silenced. “Why am I not allowed to speak? Am I not a gram sabha member?” asked local resident Elsa Dias, who wore a black band around her mouth in protest.
“Why are my proposals not allowed for the gram sabha? The sarpanch is trying to silence our voices,” said another resident, Aditya Parulekar, who was later allegedly threatened by Panch Sandeep Sawant, worsening the situation.
Sarpanch Olivera said proposals were rejected if they were not related to development or were sub judice.
MLA Fernandes criticised the move, saying, “The sarpanch should not disallow them from speaking at the gram sabha. It is because of this that there are heated arguments happening.”
