VASCO
The State administration razed 34 houses in an eight-hour demolition drive at Baina on Thursday morning, even as the entire operation passed off peacefully.
Though only those houses which did not obtain stay orders were to be demolished, it was a tedious job for authorities to execute the demolition drive.
The houses to be demolished were at different locations and there were instances where some houses with a stay and some houses earmarked for demolition shared a common wall, making it difficult for the JCB to demolish the structures identified for demolition. Labourers were then engaged to demolish such houses.
The demolition drive began with all authorities meeting at Ravindra Bhavan, Baina, where three teams were formed to demolish equal number of houses at different locations. Each team was equipped with an officer to identify the houses to be demolished and a team of labourers, JCB and an official from electricity department to cut-off electricity and PWD official to cut off water supply.
At about 7.40 am, three teams went to three different locations and demolition began simultaneously at three different locations.
A strong police force comprising DySP, police inspectors, PSIs and lady police constables from various police stations in South Goa was deployed at the site to prevent law and order problem. Traffic police were also present along with fire tenders and ambulances.
Most of the structures were razed with JCBs and about 80 labourers.
According to sources, a team of doctors and nurses with primary medical equipments and medicines were kept on standby for any situation that may arise during the demolition.
Most occupants had vacated the houses on their own and moved to safer locations by about 7 am, while some had already shifted to other rented premises the previous night.
Vasco PI Nolasco Raposo, Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu, Deputy Collector Mahadev Arondekar were among government authorities present at the demolition site.
