CANACONA
As anticipated, Sunday’s Khotigao gram sabha turned stormy over the Forest department’s alleged illegal construction in the land belonging to the Revenue department at Peeplamoll which locals fear would be turned into a checkpost and cause problems for them.
More trouble erupted when the Sarpanch taking the opinion of some members declared the questions asked over the issue of Peeplamoll illegal construction as disallowed.
At one point, after reading out a question asked by former sarpanch Umesh Gaonkar, Sarpanch Vrunda Gaonkar countered by asking that in previous two terms Umesh’s wife and Umesh himself were the sarpanchas of the village and why the question is being asked to her now. Former sarpanch asked the sarpanch to democratically answer his question first. Three members on the front row defending the sarpanch rushed to Umesh Gaonkar, and shortly later, the same three members came to hit another member Devidas Gaonkar for asking another question. It was here that policemen who were watching the developments from a distance had to intervene and take members back to their seats.
Police had to intervene at least four times to defuse the tension rising during the gramsabha, as Speaker/Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar who attended the meeting as a special invitee had to intervene thrice to defuse the trouble. Sarpanch Vrunda Gaonkar told the members to ask questions to Forest department and not to her.
To pacify the members, the Speaker suggested forming a joint committee to take the issue with the forest higher-ups and the government including the Forest Minister and even to the Chief Minister. Some of the members agreeing to the suggestion demanded that first the Forest department should stop the on-going works, before the formation of the joint committee.
Ex-Sarpanch and panch Anandu Dessai, Deputy Sarpanch Poonam Gaonkar, besides at least three other panchas were seen trying to pacify the agitated gramsabha members.
Sarpanch also questioned the members whether they have taken panchayat permissions to construct their houses. While one member Kalpesh Gaonkar was questioning the sarpanch, another member submitted a paper to the sarpanch stating that the questioning member has as many illegal structures in the village.
