Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: Bombarded with several demands and requests from gram sabha members, Agonda Sarpanch Fatima Rodrigues informed that all decisions cannot be taken by Panchayat alone but needs government support and the cooperation of the MLA.
Sarpanch ofAgonda Fatima Rodrigues chaired the well-attended gram sabha on Sunday in the presence of Panchayat Secretary Amol Naikgaunkar and in the presence of all the six panch members, including Dy. Sarpanch Prettal Fernandes In the 7-member Agonda panchayat. Panch members Ramnath Velip, Canisha Fernandes, John Fernandes, Nilesh Pagui and Karuna Phaldessai attended the gram sabha, showing 100 presence of the elected body. Incidentally, there was no observer at the gram sabha, when normally a representative from BDO attends the gram sabha as an observer.
Members listed several new works and maintenance issues of the existing services, including lack of streetlights on the village main road, Speed-breakers at strategic locations, construction of Dumane Culvert, Water supply issues, the road from Padribhat to Parvem, maintenance and widening of MDR widening of narrow sections, demands to build a Panchayat-owned Hall, Dogs, Cattle’s and Garbage menace on roadsides and black spots, Electricity issues and failure to response/restore power cuts, cutting down of dangerously lying trees, disposal of dead cattle, and many more.
Coastal people complained of ugly practices of dumping wet and other garbage in the river at night, and releasing pipelines from Septic tanks/toilet waste into the river. ‘The worst thing is even broken glasses and glass bottle pieces are thrown into the river, making it very dangerous to enter the river waters’, complained a woman member residing in the coastal belt.
“We wants a full-time Junior Engineer from the Electricity department to attend to our grievances, no one at the Agonda sub-office pays heed to our complaints and conveniently ignore our pleas to urgently attend to our day-to-day regular issues and maintenance of lines, etc.’, complained Navnath Dessai,
Stating Agonda village is rich in flora and fauna and wider scope bio-diversity, Melanie Fernandes raised questions to know whether the village bio-diversity committee is appointed and if appointed and whether it is working. Dy. Sarpanch Prettal Fernandes quickly replied BMC was indeed appointed in the village and took two names as Chairman and member to justify the committee is already working there.
A demand was also made to commence early morning bus services for the benefit of students and working villagers. Roy Fernandes demanded to keep the advertisement boards erected on the roads away from the roads which otherwise disturb the traffic flow threatening threats of accidents.
Responding to all the demands and requests, Sarpanch Fatima Rodrigues informed that all decisions cannot be taken by Panchayat alone. ‘We would seek the government’s help as well as the help and cooperation with our MLA Ramesh Tawadkar to fulfil all your demands and requests probably our village needs’.
Prakash Phaldessai called for an immediate widening of the Main village road and made the Dumane steep done free from accidents by constructing a new bridge. Sarpanch informed The landlords are again approached to spare the land required for constructing the bridge and the approach road at Dumane. ‘Agonda Panchayat has our own building but needs a meeting hall to hold gram sabha, now so many years, Panchayat has been holding gram sabha in Lakneshwar’s Temple Rajni-Paiek hall at Burman. Please obtain funds and construct a new hall for the panchayat.
A member Luis Fernandes, informed many people, particularly operating shacks and resorts, throws wet and other garbage into the river polluting it badly; even pipes from septic tanks and toilets are released into the river, Panch Nilesh Pagi on behalf of the Sarpanch warned people releasing such wastes into the river, saying these people will face the music if they do not mend their ways. Panchayat will file cases against such manoeuvres.’
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