Goa, Sept. 12 -- In many parts of Goa, little seems to surprise people anymore, and the situation at Rivona stands as a striking example. For the past three years, the Rivona Village Panchayat has been operating not from its own premises, but from inside the Government Primary School building. The reason is the incomplete and long-delayed construction of the new panchayat office, which has left local governance to function from the classrooms of a working school.

This is not an abandoned or unused structure. Children continue to attend classes daily in the very same premises. The unusual arrangement has raised serious concerns for parents and teachers alike. The shortage of space caused by the additional presence of the panchayat severel...