Your attitude holding back Pali’s development, CM tells villagers

[samir umarye]

BICHOLIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant bluntly told the Pali villagers on Sunday that internal rivalry among them was the main cause of underdevelopment in the panchayat.

The chief minister was speaking at a special enrollment camp for the general public into the welfare schemes organized by the Bicholim Mamlatdar Pravinjay Pandit at Pali.

During the function the panch members submitted a file regarding several pending projects in the village and asked the chief minister to look into it. After going through the file, Sawant told that the panchayat has submitted 17 works but out which only one work could be done at government level.

“Out of all the 17 works only one could be completed as all others require NOCs from the locals and it is the responsibility of the panchayat to convince the locals and get the NOCs. It is not government’s land and if it was government land I would have not asked for NOCs” the chief minister said.

He said that government could acquire the land but it would take at least three years. “Even when tender is issued, the locals come and stop the work,” he said and narrated an incident wherein Rs 7.5 crore tender was passed but when the contractor came to do the work a local came to assault him in Pali.

“There is a need to change the attitude of people towards development. Pali panchayat is lagging behind because of your attitude. Since last two years, we have sanctioned Rs 3 crore to the Pali panchayat but it is not having land to build a building,”  he said.

He disclosed that when he was GSIDC chairman he built 60 to 70 new panchayat buildings but expressed grief that he was not able to construct a building for Pali only because the panchayat had not acquired the land.

“It is good idea of the panchayat, especially if the panchayat is in opposition to submit all the pending works to the government without obtaining NOCs,” Dr Swant said and added, “I want to bring about development of the Pali panchayat not for the sake of panch members but for the general public.”

He returned the file to the panchayat asking them to make arrangement for the land and all developmental works would be carried out.

Earlier, the chief minister informed that there are schemes like Sukanya Samridhi account, Jan Dhan Yojana, Kisan Vikas Patra, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Suraksha Yojana, Atal Pension scheme, Mudra Yojana which are on offer during this special camp and the general public should reap the benefits of such welfare schemes. 

The chief minister also informed that such enrollment camps would be conducted in every panchayat so that they can achieve 100% enrollment of the general public.