MARGAO
Will the Ministers and MLAs from South Goa district along with the lone MP keep a date with the District Planning Committee (DPC) meeting scheduled on January 11 at the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative complex in the district Collectorate at 11 pm?
Well, last time round when the DPC meeting was convened on December 13 last by DPC Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar, not a single minister from the district nor any of the MLAs or the MP turned up for the meeting, leaving the chairperson to call off the meeting for want of a quorum.
The DPC was scheduled to discuss the plans received by the panchayat bodies and the South Goa Zilla Panchayat and consolidate the plans into a draft-District Development Plan 2024-25 to send the same to the government for consideration.
Sadly, the DPC scheduled on December 13 last had to be called off after none of the 20 MLAs from South Goa district and the MP turned up for the meeting. Of the eight Municipal chairpersons, the Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council, Damu Shirodkar was the lone civic chief to attend the meeting.
In fact, DPC Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar and Member Secretary Florina Colaco waited for 45 minutes, hoping the MLAs, MP and the Municipal chairpersons would turn up and comply with the mandatory quorum, but in vain.
The laid down rules mandates 4/5th quorum for the DPC to start the meeting and transact the business listed on the agenda. However, only the nine elected members of the DPC, mostly Zilla Panchayat members and the lone MMC chairperson turned up for the meeting when the required quorum was around 16 members.
DPC Chairperson, Suvarna Tendulkar, who also holds the South Goa Zilla Panchayat as the Chairperson, has hoped that the MLAs will turn up for the January 11 meeting and help to consolidate the draft district development plan for South Goa. “The meeting notices have been sent to the MLAs from the district. Our ZP members, panchayat members were also given the responsibility of calling on the MLAs to ensure they all turn up for the meeting,” she said.
Member Secretary Florina Colaco also echoed similar sentiments. “We have sent the meeting notices to all the MLAs, MP as well as the chairpersons of the Municipal Councils. We hope that the members will attend the meeting scheduled on January 11,” she said.
No development plans received from municipal bodies till date
MARGAO: Even as all eyes are focused on the January 11 meeting of the South Goa District Planning Committee (DPC), none of the eight Municipal bodies located in the district have submitted their annual development plans to the DPC till date.
South DPC Member Secretary Florina Colaco told The Goan that eight civic bodies in South Goa district have still not submitted their annual development plans for incorporation in the draft District Development Plan. “Let’s wait and see whether any of the Municipal bodies will submit their development plans on the day of the meeting,” Florina said.
Section 184-F of the Goa Municipalities Act mandates the urban civic bodies to prepare the annual development plan.
“Section 184 F of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, though mandates every Council to prepare every year the development plan and submit it to the DPC constituted under Section 239 of the Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, there is no provision for submission on or before any particular date. In order that provisions of Section 184 F of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, are effectively implemented, it is only appropriate that the Director of Municipal Administration, who, otherwise has sufficient powers to oversee the functioning of Municipal Councils, must direct the Municipal Councils in the State of Goa to submit such development plans to the District Planning Committee,” the High Court had observed in a public interest litigation.
