Roque Dias
Margao: Villagers across several parts of South Goa, particularly Salcete, raised the issue of the constant change in sarpanchas, deputy sarpanchas, and panchayat secretaries, saying the political musical chairs has severely impacted grassroots governance and stalled development.
Residents said frequent political reshuffles and internal agreements to rotate leadership posts —sarpanchas, deputy sarpanchas, and panchayat secretaries—have led to governance taking a backseat with left key decisions in limbo.
“Every few months there’s a new sarpanch or secretary. Projects never see completion, and it’s the villagers who suffer,” said a resident of Raia, adding that panch members are only obsessed with grabbing the sarpanch’s chair.
Curtorim, Raia, Aquem-Baixo, and other panchayats have seen multiple changes in leadership. In Curtorim, four sarpanchas and four secretaries have served in the last four years. Raia had six sarpanchas—including two deputies in temporary charge—and six secretaries.
This situation, seen in many other panchayats too, reflects poorly on Goa’s Panchayati Raj system, where the overwhelming influence of local politics often prioritises individual ambitions over village welfare. Ironically, the villagers who elected these panchas bear the brunt of this volatility.
“In earlier times, sarpanchas like Antonio Gaunkar served continuously for decades, and work was visible. Today, it’s chaos,” said another Raia villager. A resident of Benaulim added, “This rotation serves only the politicians, not the people.”
Villagers also believe the transfer of panchayat secretaries and change of sarpanchas are politically motivated by the local MLA in many cases. “They are deliberately weakening panchayats to benefit vested interests like the builders’ lobby,” said Curtorim resident J F Fernandes.
Aquem-Baixo saw 10 secretaries and four sarpanchas over the four-year term. Frequent transfers, even for short durations, disrupted continuity.
In Curtorim, Caetano Hilario served as sarpanch until September 2023, followed briefly by Egsina D’Souza, then Alexinho Da Silva and finally Joaquim Estibeiro. Secretaries included Allaudin Maniyar (twice), Diwakar Salelkar, and others.
Raia’s sarpanch post saw transitions from Judas Quadros to Godfrey Souza, Peter Quadros, Mario D’Souza, and Jacinta Dias, with multiple deputy takeovers. Secretaries included Khusalidas Gaonkar, Nilesh Shirodkar, and others.
Aquem-Baixo panchayat witnessed frequent postings of secretary Mohan Gaonkar—four times for varying durations—along with several others. Sarpanch posts were held by Avinash Sardesai, Natasha Dias, Pradip Archarya, and Floriano Fernandes.
Disillusioned villagers have now appealed to the panchayat minister to curb arbitrary transfers of panchayat secretaries and bring in long-term stability. “If grassroots governance is to work, we need continuity. Rural progress depends on it,” said a villager.
