Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Directorate of Panchayats has initiated steps to address the failure of several village panchayats to hold their mandatory gram sabhas during the first quarter of the current financial year, with Block Development Officers (BDOs) being asked to verify the situation and ensure pending meetings are conducted.
Senior officials in the Directorate said reports will be sought from BDOs to determine why gram sabhas were not convened in certain villages. Based on these findings, defaulting panchayats will be instructed to organise the missed meetings without delay.
The Directorate, however, indicated that the data available on the NIRNAY portal may not accurately reflect the actual position, pointing out that technical problems with the online system could have delayed the uploading of gram sabha details.
Under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, every village panchayat is required to convene gram sabhas at regular intervals, with the first meeting of each financial year expected to be held between April and June. These meetings play a key role in local governance by allowing residents to review panchayat functioning, discuss development works and adopt resolutions on village issues.
Officials said the responsibility for convening a gram sabha rests with the sarpanch in consultation with elected members. If a panchayat fails to call the meeting, the concerned BDO is expected to intervene and ensure compliance with the statutory requirement.
The Directorate said it would first seek explanations from panchayats that failed to hold the meetings. Although the Goa Panchayat Raj Act does not prescribe a specific penalty for such lapses, repeated failure to conduct gram sabhas could invite stricter administrative action. In such cases, the Director of Panchayats may summon the sarpanch, seek clarification and direct the immediate convening of the meeting.
Officials also noted that the Union Government’s new digital platform for recording gram sabha proceedings has experienced technical glitches, which may have resulted in incomplete or delayed data being reflected on the NIRNAY portal.
