Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has sought answers from the Department of Panchayats over missing records connected with a waste management project at Rachol, while also questioning why the department has not shifted its NOC-related procedures to an online platform.
The matter came before a Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar during proceedings on a Public Interest Litigation concerning the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at Rachol.
The Court is examining the sanction and utilisation of Rs 12.76 lakh for the facility and has called for the original documents to establish how the project moved through the approval process.
Officials from the Panchayats Department informed the Bench that the file containing the grant sanction had been located. However, another file containing documents linked to the project, reportedly dating back around four years, was still being traced.
The difficulty in locating the records prompted the Bench to question the department’s continued dependence on physical files. The judges pointed out that departments such as Health and Electricity have adopted online systems for their NOCs and asked why the Panchayats Department had not done the same.
The Bench noted that a digital system would make records easier to access and track, particularly when documents are required several years after a decision has been taken.
The Court’s concern intensified after the available file was examined. The Bench questioned how the financial approval had been processed when the documents apparently did not contain basic project particulars such as dimensions and other details, apart from the sanctioned amount.
The department’s counsel was asked to study the material available and place before the Court a clear chronology showing how the sanction was processed.
The judges also sought clarification regarding the whereabouts of the original project file after being told that it had been sent to the Block Development Office (BDO). The Bench directed the concerned BDO to produce the original records for examination.
The case arises from a petition filed by Querobino Gomes and four other petitioners, who have questioned the expenditure incurred by the Rachol Panchayat on a waste processing shed.
Among the issues raised is the alleged mismatch between the area for which funding was sanctioned and the actual size of the structure. The petitioners have also questioned how more than Rs 12 lakh was spent when, according to their contention, the facility was built over a smaller area.
The petition further raises questions about the documentation identifying the land for the project and whether the Panchayat’s records adequately explain the approval and release of the funds.
The High Court had on Tuesday ordered the Director of Panchayats to bring the original documents concerning the sanction, approval and expenditure of the Rachol MRF before the Bench.
