MARGAO
Where’s the rehabilitation package for the 13 Goan families, whose houses were razed down near the Comba subway to make way for the long-delayed Ring Road project?
These families have been temporarily put up at the Goa Housing Board quarters, with the Housing Board raising a bill of Rs 27 lakh as rent, but the permanent rehabilitation is yet to see the light of day.
Take note, as the ground reality suggests that it may take a year or two for the permanent rehabilitation of the 13 families at Comba, PWD officials fear that the government may end up paying over rupees half a crore by way of rent to the Goa Housing Board.
In fact, it’s exactly two years, on December 12, 2018, ago to be precise, bulldozers razed to the ground the housing structures of these 13 Goan families with the PWD
insisting on the demolition citing a deadline served by the judiciary.
When the beleaguered families, who were more than willing to allow the PWD to demolish the structure on conditions they are given alternate land and houses, questioned the PWD officials about their future, they were handed an assurance that they will be temporarily housed at the Housing Board quarters before their new houses take shape near the demolished houses within no time.
While the dust raised by the demolition operation has settled over two years ago, these families have been virtually left high and dry, with the rehabilitation package yet to see the light of day.
A senior PWD engineer told The Goan that the delay was initially attributed to the area of land to be allocated to each of these 13 families, saying while the government had proposed to give an area admeasuring 70-odd square meters, the families were insisting on a plot of 100 square metres.
“The issue of land allocation to the displaced families has been settled now. They will receive a plot of 70-odd square metre as was decided earlier,” informed the engineer.
The engineer, however, said it may take some time for the rehabilitation to see the light of day. “The process to prepare the plan and design will start immediately, but given the nature of approvals required from the government for such works, it may take some time for the people to get their tenements,” the official said.
Incidentally, while there was an initial move to rehabilitate the families from Cine Lata, likely to be displaced in the event the Ring Road joins the Margao fly over at Comba, the official said the proposal has been shelved by the government. “Only the 13 Goan displaced families from Comba will be rehabilitated on the acquired land admeasuring 7700 square metres. This is the latest government decision,” the PWD official added.
