NT Reporter | Curchorem
Tensions flared during the Assolda gram sabha on Sunday when villagers walked out of the meeting, accusing the panchayat body and secretary of misleading them and supporting the construction of jetties in the panchayat area.
When villagers asked the secretary whether the resolution requesting withdrawal of the NOC for jetty construction had been sent to higher authorities, he said that it had not yet been forwarded. This angered the villagers, who recalled that a special gram sabha held last year had passed a resolution to revoke the NOC issued to M/s Dinar Tarkar for jetty construction in Baag-Xelvona.
Villagers alleged that the panchayat body and secretary were “hand in glove” with the party concerned and are deliberately withholding the resolution. As a mark of protest, the villagers walked out of the hall.
Villager Dattaraj Desai said he had followed up on the issue personally. “After the resolution was passed, I asked the secretary when he would send it to higher authorities. He replied that he would do so within the next two days. Now it has been more than a year,”
he said.
Another villager, Ciril Fernandes, said the sarpanch had also failed to oppose the proposed STP plant despite being told that it would cause flooding during the monsoon, submerging nearby houses.
Sarpanch Custodio Fernandes, however, rejected the allegations. “Some villagers are misguiding people by making false allegations. We have already forwarded the resolution to higher authorities,” he said.
