The process of preparing a draft-district development plan for South Goa may be further delayed as the South Goa District Planning Committee (DPC) is yet to receive the developmental plans from the villages.
Of the 89 panchayats spread across the South Goa district, 30 panchayats have not yet submitted the developmental plans to the DPC till date. The DPC headed by the South Goa District Zilla Panchayat Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar has received plans from 59 panchayats so far.
The issue of DPC and the preparation of the draft-district development plan for South Goa figured prominently at the meeting of the South Goa Zilla panchayat chaired by Chairperson Tendulkar. The Chairperson told the members that efforts put in by the ZP members to get the panchayats in their respective jurisdiction to submit the developmental plans have partly succeeded with 59 panchayat bodies submitting the developmental plans.
She, however, pointed out that there are around 30 panchayats spread across the district which have to date not submitted the plans despite reminders.
After much discussion, the meeting decided that Zilla Panchayat members would make a fresh initiative to get the panchayats in their respective constituencies to submit the plan at the earliest.
Later briefing the media, Tendulkar said that though the panchayats were told to submit the developmental plans in a particular format, the DPC has accepted all plans sent and reduced them to the format by the office staff.
To a question, the Chairperson replied saying the DPC will set in motion the process to formulate the draft-development plan by consolidating the plans received from the local bodies.
“Some of the panchayats have claimed they had sent the developmental plans in the past. But, we have asked them to submit the plans for the year 2022-23,” she said, adding that the DPC will send reminders to the remaining panchayat bodies at the earliest.
To a question on the fate of the proposed South Goa Zilla panchayat bhavan, Tendulkar said the ZP has discussed the matter with the government, adding that the bhavan will take shape after identification of the land in question.
Zilla Panchayat Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar has informed that since the government has allowed the South ZP to utilise the Rs 25 crore for development projects in the district, each of the 25 ZP members will get Rs one crore to take up projects in their respective constituencies.
She said the process of floating the tender for the development projects was delayed by a fortnight since the concerned officials and staff have either been transferred upon promotion or were transferred as part of routine transfers.
