Team Goemkarponn
OZARIM: The Ozari Shetkari Nagarik Kruti Samiti has urged the Director of Panchayats, Goa, to intervene in what it describes as serious and continuing grievances over the functioning and conduct of the present Secretary of the Village Panchayat of Ozarim.
In an urgent memorandum submitted through the Block Development Officer, Pernem, the committee said villagers had repeatedly raised their concerns during several Gram Sabha meetings since the present Secretary took charge. The villagers, according to the memorandum, feel that their grievances have not received the appropriate attention and clarity expected from the Panchayat administration.
The committee alleged that villagers are not always provided clear answers to their queries at the first instance and are not given proper guidance about required documents. It further claimed that villagers are subsequently asked to produce different documents, affidavits or additional requirements, resulting in repeated visits to the Panchayat office. The manner of communication with some villagers has also been perceived as disrespectful and discouraging, the memorandum states.
The memorandum also points to a Gram Sabha resolution in which villagers reportedly expressed that they did not want the present Secretary to continue in the post and sought her immediate replacement or removal.
The committee has asked the competent authority to examine the Secretary’s functioning and conduct, verify the proceedings and resolutions of the Gram Sabha meetings, and look into whether villagers are receiving proper and consistent guidance regarding documents and other requirements.
It has also sought assurances that villagers are treated with dignity, courtesy and fairness, along with an examination of whether applicable Panchayat laws, rules and procedures are being followed. The committee has requested that appropriate administrative action be taken and the decision communicated to it and the villagers in writing.
The committee has warned that, in the absence of an appropriate and timely response, it will exercise its democratic right to hold a peaceful and lawful protest at the Village Panchayat Office in Ozarim at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026.
According to the memorandum, the proposed protest is not intended to create a law-and-order situation or obstruct the functioning of the Panchayat, but to peacefully place the villagers’ grievances before the authorities and seek justice.
