Panaji: The Chimbel gram sabha on Sunday erupted in chaos over the issue of the venue finalised for the gram sabha. Residents argued that holding the gram sabha after eight months would attract many villagers to discuss various issues and that it could not be held in the panchayat hall due to insufficient seating.After negotiations and talks with the villagers, sarpanch Sandesh Shirodkar rescheduled the gram sabha to March 29.Tukaram Kunkalker, a resident, said, “The sarpanch failed to organise the gram sabha in Oct last year, and in Jan this year as well. It has been many months since we discussed issues. A large number of people showing up at the gram sabha was to be anticipated.”Some villagers also requested setting up chairs outside the panchayat hall, but they refused. This led to heated arguments and sloganeering by the residents, after which the police intervened to contain the crowd.Shirodkar said, “The BDO issued a notice to hold the gram sabha on Feb 23. The villagers had ample time to request a gram sabha at an outdoor location. An arrangement at the last minute is not be possible.”
