the goan I network
MARGAO
What lay in store for gram sabha members if the government amends the gram sabha rules to bar any other matter at the Sunday gram sabhas came true at the meeting of the Telaulim Panchayat gram sabha on Sunday when a member sought to express his reservations to the government’s move was not taken official note of.
The member sought to raise the issue of the government mulling an amendment to the rules of gram sabha at the meeting, but Sarpanch Estevan Goes who chaired the gram sabha did not allow the member to drive home his point on the controversial subject.
Secretary Mario Viegas told the Sarpanch that he cannot take note of the point raised by the member in the minutes for the simple reason that the point was not listed on the meeting agenda.
Estevan later told the media that he had no objection to the member raising the issue, but admitted that the point was not taken official note of by the panchayat secretary since it was not part of the agenda.
The gram sabha member had contended that the government is trying to bring the proposed amendment to the meeting rules to scuttle members from raising issues that had in the past gone against many a controversial project sought to be implemented in the state by the government.
When The Goan contacted Panchayat Secretary Mario Viegas to shed light on the episode, he said the point sought to be raised at the meeting was not part of the agenda and hence cannot be taken into cognizance.
“The member might have highlighted the issue, but I did not record the proceedings simply because it was not part of the meeting agenda,” he said.
Salcete-based Panchayat raj institutions and former Sarpanchas have come out strongly against the proposed move of the government to bar “any other matter” at the gram sabah for discussions.
The government has published the draft rules and has invited suggestions and objections from the people on the contentious issue.
