Film shoot at Anjuna panchayat premises legal, claims sarpanch

MAPUSA: Members of the ruling and opposition panel of the Anjuna village panchayat are at loggerheads with allegations and counter allegations reaching at its peak. A day after, two of the panch members filed a police complaint against the sarpanch and the secretary of the village panchayat for damaging public property, the sarpanch filed a counter complaint stating that the allegations were baseless and the panch members' act is out of frustration for not being in power.
In another attack on the ruling panel three opposition panch members have petitioned director of panchayats on illegalities in the panchayat involving sarpanch, secretary and deputy sarpanch.
Panchayat members Sheetal Dabholkar and Suhasini Govekar had filed a police complaint against Anjuna sarpanch, panchayat secretary and Navketan Films Pvt Ltd for misuse and damage to public property. According to the complainant, Anjuna panchayat office building was used by a film shooting unit in the absence of the panchayat officials.
The complainants raised apprehensions as to how public property was handed over to the private party and that important documents at the panchayat were at risk, besides the risk of damage to public property.
Sarpanch Pratima Govekar has now filed a counter complaint against Dabholkar and Govekar for malicious prosecution, filing of false criminal complaint, distortion of facts, causing loss of reputation and harassment and mental agony.
Sarpanch Govekar states it is a legal and permissible activity as the panchayat has received fees. At the fortnightly meeting of the panchayat held on January 15, it was resolved by the panchayat to give permission to do video filming at the panchayat premises to do a documentary film at the fee of 10,000, she informed.
The sarpanch, in her complaint, said that she was personally present during the shoot and that no damage has been caused to the panchayat premises by the production. She demanded arrest and prosecution of the Suhasini Govekar and Dabholkar for causing harassment, loss of reputation and mental agony.
In the meantime, panch members Suhasini Govekar, Sandip Chimulkar and Sheetal Dabholkar have petitioned the director of panchayats against illegalities committed by the sarpanch Pratima Govekar, her deputy Savio Almeida and secretary Babu Shirodkar.
The petitioners alleged that the meeting proceedings are manipulated and illegalities are being promoted by the panchayat such as granting illegal permission to set up a hotel project in land owned by the GTDC, without the matter figuring at the panchayat body meeting. The petitioners add that this development project of constructing a hotel is being carried out in a no development zone and there is opposition to electric and water connection tothe project.