LOUTLIM VILLAGERS FILE COMPLAINT WITH POLICE

Making good on their promise of filing a complaint on the ‘mysterious’ draft regional plan submitted to the Town and Country planning department, the villagers of Loutolim filed a complaint with the Maina Curtorim police station. This plan was apparently submitted without the consent of the gram sabha and the panchayat body, The villagers, in the complaint filed at the Maina Curtorim police station, have asked for an investigation into an alleged fraud in this draft RP 2021 for Loutolim village submitted to the chief town planner.
The complaint addressed to the police inspector says that a fake plan, with an alleged illegal forwarding letter bearing a allegedly fake outward number using a panchayat seal, sarpanch seal and with the signature of the sarpanch dated July 15, 2009, has been submitted to the chief town planner.According to information, this matter was raised at the body meeting dated December 30, 2009 and in the gram sabha meeting on January 3 where the sarpanch had apparently said that his signature was forged on the forwarding letter as well as on the plan. Also the complaint says that the sarpanch and the secretary had informed the gram sabha that the panchayat had not officially submitted the said forwarding letter and it was not appearing on the outward register of the panchayat.Pointing out that as this was a very serious criminal offence and needed to be investigated as per the provisions of the law as “somebody has either made wrongful use of the panchayat letter head, panchayat seal, sarpanch seal and above all forged the signature of the sarpanch or has prepared a duplicate letterhead, panchayat seal and sarpanch seal.”The complaint also said that “it is pertinent to bring to your notice that the village level committee for Loutolim village selected by the gram sabha has prepared, approved and submitted the proposed draft regional plan to the taluka level technical team on 15/4/2009 after following all due procedures laid by the government.”The complaint also says that the present plan submitted is quite different from the one earlier submitted by the “Village Level Committee and it is necessary to interrogate the persons who will benefit from the changes made in the fake plan submitted.”The complaint also says that though the sarpanch and the secretary are aware of this illegality we fail to understand why they have not yet registered an offence.It may be recalled that the Loutolim gram sabha on Sunday was dominated by the issue of a ‘mysterious’ draft regional plan being submitted to the TCP with some gram sabha members alleging “dilly dallying” on part of the panchayat. The sarpanch, Mr Jose Fernandes, speaking to media after the gram sabha had said that he would ask for certified copies and then would take action.However, a gram sabha member and member of the Village Development Committee, Mr Franky Monteiro had told media after the meeting that they (on behalf of the VDC) would be filing a complaint to the police on this issue.“We will surely file a FIR, whether the panchayat files one or not. The fir will be filed on behalf of the VDC,” he said. “We need accountability. We need to know who is behind this.”