Absence of panchayat secretary at Colva halts work

MARGAO: Colva villagers have been inconvenienced as the panchayat does not have a secretary for the last two weeks.
The functioning of the panchayat has also come to a standstill and it could not even convene a meeting for want of a panchayat secretary.
This is has led to a backlog of administrative work as well as blocking of all financial transactions.
The panchayat secretaries deputed by the government are not full time secretaries and usually visit thrice a week. Panchayat officials said that sarpanch Snowkon Gonsalves has already lodged his complaint with the panchayat director over this matter. The sarpanch told the panchayat director that the Colva panchayat administration has come to a virtual halt for want of a full-fledged secretary since the last two weeks. Incidentally the part time panchayat secretary who usually visits every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday has also remained absent often.
Villagers who have approached the Salcete Block Development Office (BDO) and the directorate of panchayat have claimed that they would deputize a panchayat secretary to Colva panchayat at the earliest.