ROQUE DIAS | NT
Margao
There is a unique feat in this village of Salcete taluka: the Camorlim panchayat stands tall among the rural self-governing bodies in the state as it has never seen ‘no-confidence motion’ against sarpanchas and deputy sarpanchas since it came into being in 1973.
Villagers believe that perhaps this achievement has helped the village in the trajectory of development.
The attainment of ‘absence of no-trust move’ in the last 48 years is unlike the other villages of Goa that are plagued by toppling games.
Speaking about the feat, a few former panchas say that they strongly believed in political stability, which helped in carrying out developmental works.
“Unseating sarpanchas again and again through no-confidence motions is not good for grassroots democracy. Political instability hampers development, driving a wedge between elected representatives. We always kept faith in each other. I am glad that it has been upheld all these years by all the panchas of this panchayat,’’ remarks a former panch of Camorlim, Caitano L D’Mello.
Incumbent sarpanch Basilio Fernandes says that past as well as present Camorlim panchas have always striven for the
betterment of the village and have worked as a team.
“Hence thoughts on moving a no-confidence motion never came to their minds,” he explains.
Camorlim village was earlier part of the neighbouring Loutolim village.
The village was given the status of panchayat in 1973. Constancio Quadros, a retired railway employee, became the first sarpanch of the Camorlim village panchayat.
He served for five years; Celso Dias succeeded him working as the sarpanch till 1982.
Conceicao Dias took the reins of the panchayat on January 17, 1982, holding the position of sarpanch continuously for 15 years.
He was considered as the most accessible sarpanch of the village.
His wife Elizabeth Dias was elected as sarpanch when the post was reserved for woman for the first time.
Basilio Fernandes was elected as the sarpanch in 2002, who served two terms.
When the sarpanch’s post was reserved for the second time for woman, Siddhi Naik became the sarpanch on May 20, 2015. She held the position for 32 months and later vacated the chair to Hilda Sequeira.
In 2017, Fernandes’ group came back to power.
Fernandes has been at the helm of the panchayat since then.