At the Gram Sabha of Uguem village panchayat, the villagers who had come in large numbers to oppose the IIT project at Cotarli ward were left disappointed after Sarpanch Bharti Naik refused to take up the matter for discussion claiming it was not on agenda.
The villagers kept on insisting that the matter be taken up for discussion as the project would lead large-scale destruction of flora and fauna in the village.
The villagers gathered at the gram sabha also claimed that the project would lead to the destruction of pristine agricultural lands in the village.
However, the Sarpanch refused to discuss the issue, despite two villagers placing a written request to discuss it much prior to the gram sabha.
Naik and the concerned ward member Vithal Gaonkar came under severe criticism of gram sabha members.
The Sarpanch later asked the member to take up the matter for discussion at a special gram sabha.
