MARGAO
South Goa Zilla Panchayat members on Thursday demanded that the administration expedite the tendering process of development works fearing that the election code of conduct which is expected to come into force by December would delay the execution of works.
Members also demanded to know why Zilla Panchayat members are not entitled for medical bills a la the Members of the Legislative Assembly.
At the Zilla Panchayat meeting chaired by Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar, the Zilla panchayat members also requested the officials not to reject the proposals on flimsy grounds, but to instead cooperated with the implementation of the projects.
Zilla panchayat members including two-time Zilla Panchayat member Ulhas Tuemkar reminded the Zilla panchayat that they are answerable to 30,000 voters in their respective constituencies, demanding that the administration expedite the tendering and execution of the development works.
A couple of members pointed out that their development works have not been taken up in the recent tenders and wondered whether there’s any discrimination against the opposition members in the body.
One of the members drew attention of the Chair to the reported remarks made by an engineer that the member could go for another engineer if she was not happy with his functioning. “This cannot be the attitude of the engineers and officials attached to the ZP body”, the member lamented.
The members further demanded that the ZIlla panchayat take up the government the sanction of the balance grants for the district panchayat body to execute development works.
Later briefing the media, South Goa ZP Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar the ZP had received the first installment amounting to Rs 2.80 crore out of the Rs 5.60 crore grant sanctioned under the Finance Commission.
She pointed out that though the Zilla panchayat had received development funds to the tune of Rs eight crore, the members have decided to seek additional funds from the government.
On the question of medical bills of Zilla Panchayat members, Tendulkar said the Zilla Panchayat would write a letter to the government to consider the request.
She denied there’s any delay in the tendering process, saying that around 56 developmental works have been tendered, and some of the works have started in the respective constituencies. “Around works have been pending because the contractors did not file the performance guarantee”, she added.
Refuting allegations of discrimination against the opposition represented constituencies, Tendulkar said the ZP has been distributing the development funds equally to the members, saying some of the proposals are stuck up not because of the administration, but because of documentation.
