The Times of India 28.07.2010
ST/SC/OBC candidates will get seat quota at civic polls
PANAJI: Urban development minister Joaquim Alemao assured the Goa assembly of ensuring appropriate reservation for candidates from scheduled tribes (ST) and other backward classes (OBC) in every municipal council for the ensuing polls despite a lack of authentic data on their population.
Alemao was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by MLA Dayanand Narvekar in the house on Tuesday, raising apprehensions among the ST/SC/OBC communities that the ensuing municipal elections in the state would be he held without following the state policy of reserving seats for them. “About 19.5% of seats will be reserved for OBCs, 12% for STs and 2% for SCs,” the minister said.
Explaining the criteria for reservation of seats for SCs, STs and OBCs, as well as women candidates, the minister said it was provided in Section 9 of the Municipalities Act. “The number of seats, if any, to be reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates so that such number shall bear as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the number of elected councilors, as the population of these three communities in the municipal area bears to the total population of that area and not less than one third of such seats shall be reserved for women and such seats shall be allotted by rotation to different wards in a municipal area,” he said.
The population is ascertained from figures of the last census or, if not, authentic government records. However, regarding reservation for SCs, Alemao said their population in urban areas is 2%, which is insufficient to reserve a single ward in any of the municipal councils.
Further, the ST categories were notified in 2003. The social welfare department had published a survey report on the ST population in 2004, but it was challenged in the high court in 2007. Till date, the Goa state commission for backward classes has not furnished any figures of their population, although it had been directed by the court to conduct a re-survey by July 2, 2007.
Narvekar said reservation for OBCs, STs and STs is done without any data on their population being available because it is considered a social obligation. “In this case, too, these communities should not be penalized because of acts of omission and commission by some agency,” he said.
CM Digambar Kamat said the lack of data was a handicap but the government had reserved seats in elections so that they should not be deprived of their rights. Alemao assured the house that justice would be meted out to these communities in the civic polls.
Alemao was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by MLA Dayanand Narvekar in the house on Tuesday, raising apprehensions among the ST/SC/OBC communities that the ensuing municipal elections in the state would be he held without following the state policy of reserving seats for them. “About 19.5% of seats will be reserved for OBCs, 12% for STs and 2% for SCs,” the minister said.
Explaining the criteria for reservation of seats for SCs, STs and OBCs, as well as women candidates, the minister said it was provided in Section 9 of the Municipalities Act. “The number of seats, if any, to be reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates so that such number shall bear as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the number of elected councilors, as the population of these three communities in the municipal area bears to the total population of that area and not less than one third of such seats shall be reserved for women and such seats shall be allotted by rotation to different wards in a municipal area,” he said.
The population is ascertained from figures of the last census or, if not, authentic government records. However, regarding reservation for SCs, Alemao said their population in urban areas is 2%, which is insufficient to reserve a single ward in any of the municipal councils.
Further, the ST categories were notified in 2003. The social welfare department had published a survey report on the ST population in 2004, but it was challenged in the high court in 2007. Till date, the Goa state commission for backward classes has not furnished any figures of their population, although it had been directed by the court to conduct a re-survey by July 2, 2007.
Narvekar said reservation for OBCs, STs and STs is done without any data on their population being available because it is considered a social obligation. “In this case, too, these communities should not be penalized because of acts of omission and commission by some agency,” he said.
CM Digambar Kamat said the lack of data was a handicap but the government had reserved seats in elections so that they should not be deprived of their rights. Alemao assured the house that justice would be meted out to these communities in the civic polls.
