The Ganv Ghor Rakhon Manch (GGRM) has expressed both its shock and outrage at the recent exploits of the members of the Legislature. Their amendment of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act to give powers to bureaucrats turns the logic of Panchayati Raj on its head.

GGRM has pointed out that the purpose of the Panchayati Raj reforms was to ensure greater devolution of power to the citizen at the smallest level of governance, i.e. the village, what the Goa Legislature has done has been to ensure unaccountable governance through government employees.

Through its systematic actions of governance through ordinances, amendments to legislations to favour irregular and unaccountable actions, through promoting SEZ’s in different outfits [such as food parks, healt tourism etc] even while it claims to have banned them, the legislators are indicating their commitment to an anarchic rule that favours vested interests, rather than a rule favouring the aam aadmi.

GGRM has taken specific exception to the remarks by the Minister of Panchayats who castigated the behaviour of the people of Benaulim in their gram-sabhas, adding further that owing to such behaviour, all panchayat secretaries are afraid to go to that village. As is the wont of our elected representatives, the Minister for Panchyats too has been taking matters out of context to discredit the growing movement for transparent and accountable governance. The incidents in Benaulim have been the result of a stubborn and unaccountable government structure frustrating the wishes of the people, and it does not behove the Minister to misrepresent facts in this manner.

Finally, GGRM asserts that the current definition of mega-projects as being projects comprising 20,000 sq mtrs and above is quite unacceptable for a number of reasons. First, there is no evidence of any logic for the application of this upper limit. On what basis has this figure been arrived at? Secondly, the issue of mega-projects is linked to the structure of villages which these projects will impact. In tiny villages, the 20,000 rule will ensure that the residents of the hamlet will be outnumbered by projects way below this number. Hiding behind statistics and rigid rules, the Government of Goa is failing to respond to the genuine fears and demands of the people.

GGRM fears that this growing State-sanctioned anarchy will soon result in violent protests across Goa, which once  begun will be difficult to resolve. Despite this, it is clear that the Government is not inclined to institute the rule of law as its guiding light and refuses to operate by the rule of law.

Geraldine Fernandes is the Convenor of Ganv Ghor Rakhon Manch