the goan I network
MARGAO
Well, there may not be any special reason for the poor turn out. But, the bitter fact remains that the Telaulim gram sabhas have been witnessing poor response in recent times.
Otherwise, consider this: A head count of today’s gram sabha meeting chaired by Sarpanch Prudencio Carneiro revealed that only a few members turned up for the meeting, around 20 to be precise.
Inquiries by The Goan have now revealed that this is the not the first time that the village gram sabha has witnessed a poor turn out. At the last gram sabha held in April, the turn out was a mere 25 members.
It was only the February gram sabha held earlier this year that witnessed a moderate turn out of 45 members. The reason is not far too seek. At that gram sabha, concerned villagers had attended the meeting to discuss the contentious issue of western bypass.
A further glance in the gram sabha record book of Telaulim panchayat shows that the December 2015 meeting witnessed a turn-out of only 25 members.
When The Goan contacted Sarpanch Prudencio Carneiro to shed light on the poor response for the village gram sabha, he said that people come for the meetings only when there’s an issue to be discussed. “We have seen many people at the gram sabha when the western bypass had come up for discussion. It’s only when an issue or two affects the village, people do come and attend the meeting”, Carneio added.
