THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
After a video exposing the Vera-Canca panchayat of issuing house numbers to structures that did not exist went viral, the Verla-Canca panchayat on Monday went into damage control and decided to revoke the house numbers.
The panchayat also blamed the panchayat secretary for unilaterally issuing the house numbers and further warned him not to take any decisions without informing the panchayat body.
“Some people misled the panchayat secretary to issue house numbers to houses which never existed. We have resolved to revoke those house numbers,” said Milton Marques, Sarpanch of Verla-Canca.
“We have also warned the secretary not to take any such decisions in future without taking the panchayat body into confidence,” he added.
The Verla-Canca Sarpanch called for a special meeting of the panchayat members on Monday to discuss and decide on the issue of fake house numbers.
Marques said the secretary has admitted his fault for not taking the sarpanch and the panchayat body into confidence and that he had given the house numbers on humanitarian grounds.
According to the sarpanch, some people misguided and misinformed the secretary in issuing the house numbers by showing him wrong houses.
“The government has to be blamed for this. All powers are vested in the secretary. Only secretary’s signature is required to issue house numbers. The sarpanch’s role comes into play while issuing water and electricity connection,” said Marques, defending the panchayat body.
He said only three non-existing structures were issued house numbers at Freitas-vaddo in Verla-Canca.
Blaming the opposition panchayat members, the sarpanch said the issue was politically motivated.
Interestingly, some members of Revolutionary Goans circulated a video on how illegal house numbers were issued to some houses that never existed at Freitas-vaddo in Verla-Canca.
The RG video also showed house tax receipts issued to the owners of the non-existing houses and demanded disqualification of the sarpanch and the secretary of the Verla-Canca panchayat.
