VASCO
The first meeting of the newly formed Velsao Panchayat had to be cancelled on Friday after three opposition panchas wrote to authorities that the meeting scheduled be cancelled as the notice served to them was in violation of the Panchayats Raj Act.
Velsao Panchayat became the first panchayat in the State where the first fortnightly body meeting was cancelled and was postponed to September 19 after panch members Jim D’Souza, Tecla Barretto and Remedios Noronha in their letter said they had received a letter for the meeting on Wednesday to be present for a meeting scheduled on Friday.
When contacted, D’Souza said as per Section 54 (3) of the Panchayats Raj Act, a seven-day clear notice has to be given to members to hold an extraordinary meeting.
“The notice was issued on Tuesday (September 6) and we received it on Wednesday (September 7), to be present for a meeting on Friday (September 9). We only had two days time frame which is in violation of the Panchayats Act.”
“Secondly, the notice issued to us states that we are requested to place any proposals five days before the meeting which means that our proposals have to be submitted latest by September 4 to be placed in a meeting on September 9. How is this possible when we have been issued a notice on September 6 and we have received it on September 7?”
D’Souza said the villagers appreciated their move to reschedule the meeting because they have fought for development works of the village.
“Elections may have come and gone but the development works of the village must be taken up without political bias and discrimination between ruling and opposition panchas. We are an educated lot of panchas who have stepped into politics for the betterment of the village and such tactics will not be tolerated,” said D’Souza.
