Ex-bureaucrat calls for immediate enforcement of Goa Prohibition of Construction Act
MARGAO
Bureaucrat-turned-politician Elvis Gomes on Thursday said that nothing stops the government from invoking powers under the Goa Prohibition of Construction Act to stop illegal constructions on government, Comunidade, and Panchayat and Municipal lands in the state.
Accusing the government of a panic reaction in the wake of the suo motu petition by the High Court regarding illegal constructions, Gomes said that successive governments have misused the provisions of the Public Health Act to issue water and electricity connections as part of vote bank politics.
He said if the government is serious about curbing illegal constructions, it should immediately invoke the powers under the Goa Prohibition of Construction Act to save government land from encroachments.
“All this time, it was a free-for-all to encroach on government and Comunidade land, with the encroachers enjoying power and water connections. Now that the High Court has taken cognisance of the illegalities, the government seems to have hit the panic button,” he said.
Gomes further pointed out that the same government had, in the past, brought in the Bhumiputra Bill for the regularisation of illegal constructions in the state. He also said that the issuance of Enabled House Numbers for illegal structures in the state is another example of how the government has been supporting and promoting illegal constructions. “The government allowed illegal structures to mushroom all these years to create vote banks. Now that the High Court has taken cognisance of the illegalities, the government has tried to convey that it is taking action. I fail to understand why the government waited for the High Court to intervene when it had all the powers under the Prohibition law to stop illegal constructions,” he wondered.Govt not doing enough against illegalities: Elvis Ex-bureaucrat calls for immediate enforcement of Goa Prohibition of Construction Act ---- MARGAO Bureaucrat-turned-politician Elvis Gomes on Thursday said that nothing stops the government from invoking powers under the Goa Prohibition of Construction Act to stop illegal constructions on government, Comunidade, and Panchayat and Municipal lands in the state. Accusing the government of a panic reaction in the wake of the suo motu petition by the High Court regarding illegal constructions, Gomes said that successive governments have misused the provisions of the Public Health Act to issue water and electricity connections as part of vote bank politics. He said if the government is serious about curbing illegal constructions, it should immediately invoke the powers under the Goa Prohibition of Construction Act to save government land from encroachments. “All this time, it was a free-for-all to encroach on government and Comunidade land, with the encroachers enjoying power and water connections. Now that the High Court has taken cognisance of the illegalities, the government seems to have hit the panic button,” he said. Gomes further pointed out that the same government had, in the past, brought in the Bhumiputra Bill for the regularisation of illegal constructions in the state. He also said that the issuance of Enabled House Numbers for illegal structures in the state is another example of how the government has been supporting and promoting illegal constructions. “The government allowed illegal structures to mushroom all these years to create vote banks. Now that the High Court has taken cognisance of the illegalities, the government has tried to convey that it is taking action. I fail to understand why the government waited for the High Court to intervene when it had all the powers under the Prohibition law to stop illegal constructions,” he wondered.
