PRESS NOTE - TBA Condemns sabotage of Gram Sabha of Taleigao Village

17th August 2008
The Taleigao Bachao Abhiyan on behalf of the citizens of Taleigao expresses its shock and moral outrage at the manner in which the Sarpanch of the Village Panchayat of Taleigao made a mockery of the Gram Sabha of Taleigao and did not allow genuine concerns of the villagers to be raised.

The TBA points out that the Gram Sabha held on the 17th of August was in fact required by law to be conducted in the month of July. The TBA brought this lapse to the attention of the BDO, subsequent to which the Panchayat was directed to comply with the law by the BDO. This conforms to a pattern where for at least the past three trimesters the Gram Sabha has not been held as per schedule, but only after the direction by the BDO.

In light of experiences of citizens at the earlier Gram Sabha, that was marked by verbal assault and intimidation, the TBA requested that the Panchayat make provisions for police presence to enable peaceful conduct of the Gram Sabha. However, the Sarpanch, indicated in his opening remarks at the Gram Sabha, that he did not feel the need for the same. He was almost immediately proved wrong, by the presence of the same group of unruly elements that have continuously heckled and disrupted the proceedings in earlier Gram Sabhas. Owing to the absence of police, the Sarpanch was unable to control these elements and used these disruptions as an excuse to dissolve the meeting.

The TBA also points out that items submitted for discussion at the gram sabha four working days prior to the same in conformity with the rules of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act were not specifically included in the agenda for the meeting as required by law. Instead, they were raised as per the arbitrary discretion of the Sarpanch. The items submitted included the discussion on action taken on the Gram Sabha’s resolution to denotify the IT Park, issues regarding the ODP, formation of ward committees in the village as per directives from the Directorate of Panchayats, information regarding road projects to be undertaken by the Panchayat. The Sarpanch’s discretionary conduct ensured that he did not allow valid points to be raised and dismissed these without hearing. Discussion, for instance, on action taken regarding the Gram Sabha’s demand for denotification on the IT Park was summarily dismissed by him stating without substantiation that the issue was sub-judice.

The Gram Sabha was eventually disrupted when a resolution seeking the repeal of the amendments Section 16 and 16 A to the TCP Act were sought to be passed. Given that there was no unanimity on the issue, it was demanded that it be put to vote. At this point, the Sarpanch began what can only be described as a complete mockery of regular voting procedures. Engaging in a partisan counting exercise, the Sarpanch counted only those in favour of the resolution opposing the amendments. Their numbers were also misrepresented. He then proceeded to indicate that all those within the hall who had not voted for, and those outside of the hall, were ‘logically’ against the resolution. When points of order were sought to be raised, the unruly elements stepped up their commotion, giving opportunity to the Sarpanch to dissolve the meeting. Rather than reconvene the meeting subsequent to calming down the situation with police assistance, as should have been done, the Sarpanch remained adamant about dissolving the meeting. He, along with the rest of the Panchas, left the premises after locking up the Panchayat office within ten minutes of this occurrence. This left members of the Gram Sabha in a vulnerable position where their lives and property were threatened by the same unruly elements. In face of all the evidence, the TBA asserts that this action of the Sarpanch and the unruly elements were part of a pre-meditated strategy to sabotage the Gram Sabha and suppress the genuine concerns regarding developments in the village. This suppression of genuine concerns, the TBA points out, will only leave scope for vested interests to hold the interests of the people of Taleigao to ransom.

The TBA condemns these pre-meditated attempts by the Panchayat to saboatage the democratic processes of the Gram Sabha. It calls upon the Director of Panchayats and the Government to take note of this murder of the democratic process and initiate appropriate action forthwith.