MARGAO
The first gram sabha of the Navelim panchayat began on a stormy note on Sunday when a gram sabha member told sarpanch Paul Pereira that he cannot preside over the meeting since a criminal case is pending against him.
Sarpanch Pereira, however, rejected the demand of the gram sabha member, pointing out that neither an FIR is registered against him nor he has been arrested in any criminal case.
Moments after the sarpanch called the meeting to order, he was questioned for chairing the meeting when the member claimed that he is allegedly involved in a criminal case. Sarpanch Pereria, however, refuted the allegations, adding that complaint lodged against him before the police is under investigation.
The meeting later deliberated on a host of issues, including the mobile tower at Belem, the flyover at the Belem traffic junction, the IIT project coming up at Sanguem, sub-division of plots et al.
Expressing concern over the accidents at the Belem traffic junction, where the western bypass joins the NH-66, the gram sabha members have demanded the construction of a flyover at the spot to tide over the traffic woes.
The members also raised the issue of the mobile tower installed within the setback area of the Belem junction despite opposition from the residents. After much discussion, the gram sabha members told the sarpanch to write to the telecom company to dismantle and shift the tower to an alternate site.
The members pointed out that they are not opposed to the mobile towers per se, but their location in residential areas.
The gram sabha also told the sarpanch to look into the issue raised by a member that a building is coming out with a project without settling the tenants and complying with the building rules. While saying that the panchayat, during his tenure, has not received any file from a building, Pereira, however, has assured to look into the issue raised by the member.
