the goan I network
MARGAO
Ward No VI of Carmona village Panchayat is facing a peculiar situation of sorts for no fault of the people.
This ward had no representation in the village panchayat for a couple of months following the demise of then panch member Joszinho Mendes. Strange it may seem, but true, Ward No VI is still not represented in the panchayat despite the election authorities declaring Xavier Fernandes as the new panch member in the bye-election held around a month ago.
The reason is simple: Blame it on the panchayat officials or otherwise, Xavier has still not been administered the oath of office till date, denying him his Constitutional right to represent his voters in the panchayat body.
Xavier was declared elected in the by-poll on October 22 and it will be a month six days from now, but there’s no sign of the BDO office administering the oath of office to the newly-elected member.
During this near one-month period, the Carmona panchayat had a monthly meeting, but Xavier could not attend the same and put forth the grievance of his voters before the panchayat body for the simple reason that he has not been administered the oath after his election.
What has agitated Xavier the most is that the panchayat has fixed another meeting of the body early next week, but he is keeping his fingers crossed whether he would be able to attend the meeting, for the simple reason that the BDO office has still not administered him the oath of office.
“I really do not know why the BDO office has been dragging its feet to administer me the oath of office after my election,” Xavier said.
He added: “When I had first called on the BDO officials, some days after my election, I was told that the BDO office was still to receive the notification containing my election.”
Xavier has failed to understand how there can be a delay on the part of the authorities to issue the notification declaring his election as a panch member.
“When I approached the BDO office a day ago, I was told that the notification is now come and the office has plans to administer the oath on November 22. I again fail to understand why the BDO office wants to administer the oath to me only on November 22 when the panchayat meeting is scheduled a day before the meeting,” he added.
Xavier pointed out that people from Ward No VI have been suffering over the last couple of months since there’s been no panch member representing them in the panchayat body, first due to the demise of then member Joszinho Mendes and now over the delay in administering oath to him by the
BDO office.
