“The responsibility does not end at the panchayat level. The rot travels upward to the Directorate of Panchayats and ultimately to Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho and his ministry. This department is empowered to discipline errant sarpanchs, audit the functioning of panchayats, and ensure accountability at the grassroots. Yet its track record is one of lethargy and selective action. It intervenes only when forced by court orders or when a controversy grows too large to ignore. In the meantime, illegalities thrive under its watch.”
The High Court of Bombay at Goa’s order against illegal constructions in Arambol is not just a judicial directive. It is a mirror held up to the failure of grassroots governance in the state. Panchayats, which were created to safeguard local interests and ensure transparent administration, have instead become the breeding ground for corruption and compromise. The very sarpanchs and secretaries who are expected to act as custodians of villages are the ones who often enable the decay of Goa’s fragile environment and community fabric.
At the heart of the problem lies the complicity of local officials. Illegal constructions do not come up overnight, nor can they survive without the knowledge of panchayat members. Every unauthorized guesthouse, resort, or multi-storey building in Arambol and elsewhere is a product of deliberate inaction. Notices are delayed, rules are bent, and sometimes files are simply buried.
The silence of panchayats is not accidental but transactional. Sarpanchs and secretaries look away in exchange for personal benefits, and panch members fall in line to enjoy a share of the same pie. These actions have turned institutions that were meant to empower villagers into mechanisms that work against them.
The hypocrisy becomes clearer when one compares how locals and outsiders are treated. A Goan family looking to construct a small house must navigate endless paperwork and face constant scrutiny from the authorities. But when non-Goan businessmen or Delhi-based investors arrive with money and influence, the rules bend effortlessly. They build sprawling structures without clearances, and even after notices are served, enforcement is rare. For villagers who see their own panchayat officials complicit in this betrayal, the message is unmistakable. The system is rigged in favor of those who exploit Goa, not those who belong to it.
The High Court has now demanded accountability, warning that village officials who fail to act will face consequences, including disqualification. This is significant because, for too long, panchayats have hidden behind claims of limited authority.
In reality, they have used their authority selectively, not to protect their constituencies but to protect violators. The disqualification of the Arambol sarpanch last year was not a reflection of proactive governance. It came only after outrage grew and the directorate of panchayats was compelled to act. The court’s observation that Pernem’s model could be applied elsewhere confirms what everyone knows: this is not an isolated case but a widespread malaise.
The responsibility does not end at the panchayat level. The rot travels upward to the Directorate of Panchayats and ultimately to Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho and his ministry. This department is empowered to discipline errant sarpanchs, audit the functioning of panchayats, and ensure accountability at the grassroots. Yet its track record is one of lethargy and selective action. It intervenes only when forced by court orders or when a controversy grows too large to ignore. In the meantime, illegalities thrive under its watch.
Minister Godinho bears direct responsibility for this mess. His tenure has been filled with assurances of reform and accountability, yet villages across Goa continue to grapple with unregulated construction. Coastal belts from Morjim to Colva tell the same story: local panchayats are compromised, and the ministry does nothing. This is not just negligence. By consistently ignoring or delaying action, the ministry has sent a clear signal that powerful outsiders can violate rules with impunity while locals will be left to battle red tape.
For Goans, the anger is not just about buildings on the coastline. It is about the larger pattern of betrayal. Every illegal structure built by outsiders while locals are penalized for minor violations deepens resentment. It feeds the perception that their land and resources are being sold off with the blessings of their own leaders. What makes it worse is that those responsible for protecting villages, from sarpanchs to the minister, are part of the problem.
The High Court’s intervention is a reminder that the system still has levers of accountability, but it should not require judicial prodding for governance to function. Panchayats were meant to be the foundation of local democracy, yet they have become instruments of exploitation. The Panchayat Minister and his department, through their failure to act, have allowed this culture to spread unchecked. Goa cannot afford this betrayal any longer. If illegal constructions continue to be tolerated, the state risks not only ecological destruction but also the erosion of public trust. What is being lost is more than just the coastline—it is the very faith of Goans in the institutions meant to serve them.
