Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Village Panchayat Secretaries in Goa could face suspension if they hold up the delivery of services to beneficiaries under the Mhaje Ghar Scheme, following a strict warning issued by the Directorate of Panchayats.
Director of Panchayats Dasharath Redkar has instructed Secretaries to act promptly on applications from beneficiaries whose cases have already received approval from the competent authorities.
The directive makes it clear that documents and permissions sanctioned by Deputy Collectors, Additional Collectors and other authorised officials should not be subjected to another round of approval or discussion at the Village Panchayat level.
The department has taken a serious view of complaints that beneficiaries were being made to wait despite having secured the necessary government clearances. In some instances, matters were reportedly referred to Panchayat bodies, leading to further delays and difficulties for applicants.
The issue also came up during the special public outreach initiative, ‘Sarkar Tumchya Dari’, chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, where concerns over delays in extending scheme benefits were raised.
The government has maintained that the Mhaje Ghar Scheme is intended to provide relief to eligible residents and that procedural formalities at the local level should not obstruct the implementation of decisions already taken by authorised officials.
Under the latest instructions, Panchayat Secretaries must facilitate services such as occupancy certificates, construction licences, NOCs for electricity and water connections, house-number bifurcation and other related requirements covered by the scheme.
Applicants will, however, have to submit the prescribed documents and pay the applicable fees before the requested services are processed.
Redkar has cautioned that Secretaries who fail to comply with the instructions will face disciplinary consequences, including suspension. The warning is aimed at ensuring that eligible households are not deprived of government benefits because of avoidable administrative delays.
