NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The government on Tuesday announced 35.5 per cent of ward reservations for the forthcoming election for 186 village panchayats scheduled to be held on June 11.
The candidates will be contesting in a total of 1,522 wards of these panchayats, with seven new wards coming into existence due to the creation of the Quelossim village panchayat in Cortalim constituency, with overall increase in the number of wards being 39.
Minister for Panchayats Mauvin Godinho told a press conference that the government has followed all norms while deciding on the reservations, and for the first time provided reservation for the SC community making it available altogether 15 wards, besides providing around 11 per cent reservations for the ST community making it available altogether 168 wards, and around 27 per cent reservations for OBC making it available 357 wards.
A total of 490 wards have been reserved for women candidates, Godinho said.
The 15 ‘area-specific’ wards kept in reserve for the SC community includes eight in Pernem taluka, three in Bicholim taluka, two in Sattari taluka, and one each in Bardez and Salcete taluka.
Earlier, the government had followed the practice of nominating SC members on the village panchayats as per the SC population existing in the particular panchayat area however they had no voting rights.
For the 11-member village panchayats, wards 1,2,5 and 8 (in 17 village panchayats)/ wards 1,3,5 and 8 (in 18 village panchayats) have been kept in reserve for women. For the nine-member village panchayats, wards 3,5 and 8 have been kept in reserve for women; for the seven-member village panchayat, wards 3 and 4 have been kept in reserve for women; and for the five-member village panchayat, wards 1 and 3 have been kept in reserve for women.
The Minister for Panchayats said that he would ensure that all kinds of ‘musical chairs’ being played at various village panchayats, out of greed for power, which in turn makes these local bodies unstable, would be stopped henceforth.
“If need be, the government will amend the Goa Panchayati Raj Act for this purpose,” he added, pointing out that the rules and regulations of the Act could also be amended to hand over the conduct of all election related matters, including those involving village panchayats and zilla panchayats, to the state election commission.
Ensuring that all the funds are available to village panchayats, which are serious about carrying out developmental works, Godinho said the Bharat Swachh Abhiyan would be taken up by all village panchayats in Goa during their new tenure. It was also informed that since the tenure of the 186 village panchayats is expiring on May 26, the sarpanchas of these local bodies would be appointed as the administrators on the respective village panchayats from May 27.
The Census 2011 has been taken as the base for these reservations.