PANAJI
After the Excise department, activist-lawyer Aires Rodrigues has now trained his guns at the posh 'Silly Souls Café and Bar' allegedly run by the family of Union Minister Smriti Irani through the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department for alleged violations of construction and land-use laws.
The Senior Town Planner of North Goa has been directed by the Chief Town Planner (Planning) Rajesh Naik, to conduct an inspection and take necessary action following Rodrigues' complaint.
Rodrigues has alleged illegal construction at the site besides filling of a tenanted field in the property at Assagao.
In his office note to the Senior Town Planner of Friday, Naik has said: "It is alleged that illegal construction has been carried out in plots bearing survey number 236/21 and 236/22 at Bouta Vaddo, Assagao Village, Bardez taluka. In the letter, it is mentioned that the plot bearing survey no. 236/21 is a tenanted field which has been illegally filled."
The restaurant is already facing a probe by the Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad in the matter of the liquor licences being obtained fraudulently.
Gad has held initiated a quasi-judicial proceeding and has heard Rodrigues as well as the counsel for the D'Gama family which owns the property. Noted Mapusa-based lawyer Benny Nazareth is representing the D'Gama family and has in written submissions owned up ownership of the property and denied any wrongdoing.
The next hearing before the Excise Commissioner is now fixed on August 22.
Separately, the Directorate of Panchayats has also directed the Bardez Block Development Officer to probe another of Rodrigues' complaint that no necessary permissions were obtained from the local panchayat before the restaurant was built.
