Queries draw blank at panchayat, villagers of Cotigao irked

Canacona: Over 150 villagers who attended the Cotigao gram sabha on Sunday became agitated as the panchayat was not able to answer the questions they raised about forests and provisions for tribal people.
Several villagers cornered sarpanch Vrunda Velip about the construction of the Pimplamol forest checkpost. The sarpanch’s failure to answer angered the villagers.
Assembly speaker and local MLA Ramesh Tawadkar who was present at the meeting for a short while suggested that a joint committee be formed to examine the issue.
The villagers did not agree to this solution and said that they will go by the laws of the panchayat and approach the higher authorities concerned to seek justice and ensure the rights of the people.
Umesh Gaonkar, a former sarpanch, said that since the locals did not get a satisfactory response from the panchayat over the forest checkpost, they are left with no option but to go to the higher authorities.