NT NETWORK
VASCO
The gram sabha of Cansaulim Arossim Cuelim, on Sunday, questioned the panchayat secretary Pradeep Tamhankar and sarpanch Philomena D’Mello over their alleged involvement in manipulating the budget, which was approved through Zilla Panchayat, without being discussed at gram sabha.
The villagers demanded a vigilance inquiry into Tamhankar’s alleged involvement in manipulating the budget approved for the financial year 2016-17 and not maintaining the minute’s book properly.
They raised their strong objection to the gram sabha being held on Sunday by the panchayat secretary Tamhankar instead of July 31.
The panchayat secretary was also cornered for stalling payment of legal fees.
It was resolved that the panchayat secretary should attend the court hearings as scheduled and apply for rojnama of the court matters and not to fall prey to vested interest of a few panchas.
It was unanimously resolved that the panchayat should circulate the copies of the audit report to the gram sabha members.
The resolution was taken after the issue was raised by Stanley Pereira.
The gram sabha members were irritated over the reading of audit report by the panchayat secretary which consumed about half an hour.
A villager Alvaro D’Costa objected to the budget approved by the panchayat body without consulting the gram sabha.
He said that the budget for the financial year was supposed to be passed in the month of March, however, the panchayat body approved the budget quiet early by sending it to the Zilla Panchayat, without consulting the gram sabha members.
“It was a shame on the part of the panchayat body to send the budget to the Zilla Panchayat for its approval,” said D’Costa and read out the ‘presentation of accounts and budget of panchayat’ under Goa Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.
He said that the budget needs to be approved by the gram sabha members first, before being given final consent by the panchayat body.
“It is a fundamental right of the villagers to get the budget approved in the gram sabha,” he added.
Social activist Dr Marconi Correia questioned the panchayat secretary as to under which provision the budget for the financial year 2016-17 was passed.
“It is a slap on the face of all the gram sabha members to get the budget approved through Zilla Panchayat,” he said.
“It was an unprecedented incident wherein budget was approved for the first time by the Zilla Panchayat, which is because of the short comings of the ruling panchayat members and panchayat secretary,” he added.
Two panch members John Fernandes and Luis D’Costa raised doubts over the approval of the budget and alleged that the panchayat secretary Tamhankar did not even discuss the budget during the panchayat body meeting.
Fernandes exposed the panchayat secretary claiming that the “figures have not been recorded in the minutes’ book and the columns meant for writing figures have been kept blank.”
Dr Correia objected to the doubling of the railway track in Cansaulim, saying it would affect a large number of heritage houses and a convent.
“It is a sad story that few legislators have come forward to object to the doubling of the railway track and others not showing interest,” he lamented.
He was of the opinion that the railway authorities should first have put the necessary infrastructure like road over bridge and under bridges in place in the interest of the people and then opted for doubling of the track.
