Lead Article published in oHeraldo Novemebr 28, 2022
The 60 years milestone for Panchayati Raj in Goa passed off last month without any celebrations. Though a section of the local media did attempt to highlight this moment in the history of self-governance, the priorities for the Gram Sabhas and Elected Panchayat Representatives seem to remain somewhere else. This is not at all surprising given the fact that Goa’s politicians have not yet accepted in spirit the constitutional space accorded to the Panchayat institution in village governance. Even more disappointing is the reality wherein Gram Sabhas in Goa have not taken their constitutional space in self-governance seriously. While Panchayats have earned a bad reputation of being corrupt, the Gram Sabhas have deteriorated into unruly and proxy forums for groups with vested interests. What has evaded Panchayat Raj in Goa is good governance and a non-partisan attitude and decorum in Gram Sabha deliberations.
Goans are not new to self-governance down the centuries through the Comunidade system. The Panchayat system of governance, which is also an ancient system of self-governance particularly in some parts of North India, was introduced in Goa after liberation as mandated under the Directive Principles of State policy in Article 40 of the Indian Constitution. Goa having just been liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961, and as a Union Territory then controlled from Delhi, no attention was paid to adopt the time tested good practices from the Comunidade system into the making of rules and regulations for Panchayats in Goa.
Unlike in some Indian States, the Gram Sabhas in Goa do not enjoy community ownership over any land. The Comunidades, which enjoy ownership over land and other natural resources in many talukas, have never found representation in the Panchayat system. The Village Panchayats in Goa are more like featherless birds and toothless tigers with no real powers. With a traditional Comunidade system managing a sizeable chunk of village lands and natural resources, as well as a large tribal population in some talukas, some of Goa’s villages may have even qualified to be governed under what is known as the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) which became law in 1996.
The transition of Goa’s Panchayats to a uniform system applied across the country in 1992, under the Seventy Third Constitutional Amendment, coincided with the industrial, real estate and tourism boom. The Goa Panchayat Raj Act was reluctantly promulgated in 1994 as MLAs were nervous of losing hold in their constituencies with the new system. The Act was hurriedly cobbled up only after the Union Government threatened to block central funds to States which had failed to implement the Constitutional amendment. Besides the blind copying and pasting of sections from the Panchayat Acts from neighbouring States, the old building rules of 1972 were retained without being revised to meet the challenges of the changing times. The deficient Panchayat Act and the archaic Town and Country Planning Act and building rules provided scope for rampant corruption and gross violations in land development and construction projects. The rampant corruption in some Panchayats has contributed to the ‘rags to riches’ stories of several politicians.
Goa’s Panchayati raj is severely undermined by the parallel governance of government departments and agencies in villages. The TCP Act of 1975 has not yet been amended to accommodate the constitutional local governments in planning and execution of development. The Regional Plan and Outline Development Plan imposed on villages have reduced the powers of Panchayats to garbage collection besides roadside drains and bush cleaning. Urban plans of government agencies are imposed in rural areas to benefit the land sharks and the greedy political and business class. There is total disregard for the carrying capacity of the land, the environmental and social impact or the burden on village administration, resulting from urban zoning regulations and urban F.A.Rs imposed in the Panchayat areas. We now have villages within a village and ‘vaddos’ within a ‘vaddo’, with massive gated communities having no connection to the land, nature and culture around.
The future of Panchayats in Goa looks bleak considering the rapid urbanisation of villages, many of which already qualify to be upgraded to municipality. The huge influx of migrant urban population in many villages has destroyed the traditional community bonding which once existed. If the political whispers in 2002 about a decision which was conveyed at a Development Commissioners’ meeting at Delhi have any truth, it may not be long before entire Goa is reduced to just three City Corporations.
It’s a pity that the 84% literate Goa has never resisted this domination by government agencies and interference by the MLAs in village governance. Instead, the Elected Panchayat Bodies have remained content in functioning like extension counters for government programs and as agents of the local MLA instead of the community. The Gram Sabhas too are enabling the constitutional violations by collaborating in the farce of participatory consultations and planning undertaken by government agencies. The 70% turn-out for Panchayat elections hardly results in even a 1% attendance for the Gram Sabha meetings.
The state of Goa’s Panchayati Raj is a mockery of the Constitution. The rampant and irrational urbanisation of Goa’s villages needs to stop. The foremost priority for Goans must be the demand for real devolution of powers which involves the 3Fs: functions, funds and functionaries.
(The author is a Social Activist who has worked in creating awareness on the issue of local self-governance)
https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Goa%E2%80%99s-Panchayats-60-Where-is-the-local-selfgovernance/197333
No comments:
Post a Comment