Will suspend panchayat secretary if home repair nod not given in 3 days: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday assured the public that the panchayat secretary will be suspended if he/she failed to give permission within three days of an application to repair a house.
“Panchayat secretaries used to harass to give NOC to repair a house. I have told them to give it in three days. If the secretary fails to give permission within three days, then file a complaint before the director of panchayats and we will immediately suspend them,” Sawant said.
He said that if any officer tries to block govt work or public work, then henceforth govt will not keep quiet.
On Wednesday, the chief minister had said that within three days, a panchayat secretary should issue permission to repair an existing structure — single dwelling unit or structure. He had said that if the secretary fails to issue permission within three days, it would be deemed approved.
The chief minister had said that there is no need to put up a file for a panchayat body meeting for permission to repair one’s own house. He had said that to apply for permission, house owners must have paid a minimum of five years of house tax. House owners should get a structural stability report from a structural engineer or an architect.
Sawant noted that many Goans were facing problems in getting permission to repair their old houses. “The files used to be sent to the block development officer and directorate of panchayat, and after it was brought to my notice, the process has been streamlined. House owners should make an application for the repair of their houses with the house tax receipts, old house photos, new plan and structural audit report, and within three days, the secretary will issue permission,” the chief minister said.