MARGAO: Chao and commotion marked the Aquem-Baixo gram sabha, on Sunday, over the issues of  the list of below poverty line (BPL)  families, beneficiaries and pending market complex.  

The  locals demanded  that the  names of the migrants, who stay in the rented premises in the village  included in the BPL list,  be immediately deleted and urged for  proper verification before placing the list before the  gram sabha.
“How can the people like Sharmas, Nadafs staying in rental premises in the village be included in the  BPL list?   And, that too, at the cost of the  genuine cases in  the village?  Delete their names immediately  and, never encourage them again,’’ yelled Mr Joseph Vaz,  Mr Xavier  Fernandes, Ms Sunita Naik,  Ms  Jerry  Fernandes and  several other villagers.  Others  joined them. 
What indeed added fuel to the fire was the  statement made by the panchayat  secretary that the BPL list has been forwarded to the panchayat by the mamlatdar and that it is an old list sent for the approval of the  gram sabha.
Incidentally, a local who handled such BPL cases at the mamlatdar’s office countered the panchayat secretary and corrected him stating that the mamlatdars  never prepare such lists of the BPL families, “instead it is the panchayat  which  forwards the said list.”  
The  locals  vociferously  demanded  that the panchayat members verify the list  and then put it before the  gram sabha. A resolution was taken to this effect.
It was also resolved to  write to the  Chief minister, local MLA and the  Minister for  Water Resources Department (WRD) to  transfer the  WRD land and building situated near the ice  factory in the name of the panchayat,  which was earlier agreed to be given to the panchayat.
It may be noted that the WRD  had  changed its decision and constructed a building on the same land even though it was agreed to be given to the panchayat  for a market  complex.  
While the  sarpanch, Ms Deepa Naik and panchayat  (her husband), Mr Damu Naik,  tried to  accuse the  outgoing  panchayat body and the sarpanch for it, the  former sarpanch, Mr Inacio Dias, who was present during the gram sabha  demanded to bring the file.
He later revealed that Mr Damu Naik was the  then sarpanch in the  year 1992-1997,  and Mr Satyavijay Naik was the deputy sarpanch, “who slept on the file  despite the  government cleared its intension of giving the land to the panchayat with a notification on the local dailies in the year 1993.”
Interestingly,  Mr Damu Naik is  the  only  panchayat member  serving since  then.
The locals demanded with the elected body to come prepared on the subject during the next meeting.
The members of the   gram sabha  also resolved to write  to the  traffic cell  to  take action against  illegal parking on the village roads. The  villagers complained that  trucks  remained parked on the  roads causing hindrance to the locals.
“No one should be spared. Action should be taken against all,’’ appealed Mr Satyavijay  Naik, the  deputy sarpanch and couple of other villagers.
Issue of encroachment was also debated at the gram sabha. Mr Ajay Shirodkar from  ward number  four  pointed out that  open spaces in the villages are used  for dumping of waste.
“Panchayat should take action against the culprits and should immediately take possession  of such open spaces,’’ the   villagers shouted.
They later  took a resolution that panchayat should conduct an inspection of these  open space and should  develop them for the  locals’ use.   
It was also resolved to erect net around the  football ground located opposite the panchayat building as the  ball often  hit the passers-by. They also narrated an incident of how  a pregnant  women was hit with the ball.