MAPUSA
The Verla-Canca gram sabha had to be cancelled on Sunday after the headstrong panchayat secretary refused to cooperate with the elected panchayat body even as the sarpanch and panchayat members demanded action against the secretary and called for her replacement.
The villagers who had arrived for the gram sabha in large numbers were in for a shock after the secretary Nikita Parab walked out of the hall postponing the meeting due to the absence of the observer.
As soon as the gram sabha assembled, the panchayat members including the sarpanch pointed to the secretary for refusing to take the panchayat body into confidence while taking decisions. The main point of contention was the presence of the large police force for the gram sabha meeting.
“Our village is very peaceful. In the history of our gram sabhas, we never called a police force for our meetings. This is the first time the police have been called. The secretary has not taken the sarpanch into confidence while inviting the police,” said Digambar Kalangutkar, the deputy sarpanch.
Kalangutkar also informed the gram sabha that the monthly meeting of the panchayat body on the previous day was also disrupted due to the "uncooperative behaviour" of the secretary. He said the secretary had issued a licence for a compound wall without informing the panchayat body when they had already called for an inspection of the site as there were complaints over the structure. He further claimed that the secretary had been very erratic in her attendance as she had been on long leave.
Agitated gram sabha members began to question the obstinate behaviour of the secretary for bypassing the elected body. “Please remember you are a public servant who has to listen and guide the elected members of the panchayat body. This behaviour is very unbecoming of a government official,” said Sudesh, a gram sabha member.
Later, Verla-Canca sarpanch Aarthi Chari said that the secretary was not punctual from the time she was posted in the village panchayat. She said the secretary was on leave for a month and when she resumed she worked for two days and went on leave again. “All the works of the public have remained pending because of the unavailability of the secretary,” Chari said.
“At the last gram sabha, we made so many resolutions for the development of the village but not a single resolution could be implemented because the secretary who processes the documents remains absent,” she added. The sarpanch further said that they will meet the Block Development Officer and ask him to replace the secretary at the earliest.
