MAPUSA
The Anjuna-Caisua village panchayat has requested villagers to remove all encroachments along the main district road (MDR-7) in Vagator so that work on widening and hotmixing of the main arterial road can be taken up on priority.
According to the panchayat, the PWD has to execute the work of improvement and hot mixing of the road from Our Lady Piety Chapel, Anjuna to Vagator petrol pump in the village coming under Siolim constituency.
The panchayat in a public notice has warned that illegal obstructions/encroachments, compound walls, wire fencing, stalls, patra sheds, advertisement boards and any temporary structures within the road widening and footpath area should be removed within seven days of the publication of notice. The notice was published in a local daily on January 12.
Anjuna Sarpanch, Laxmidas Chimulkar said that if the villagers fail to remove the encroachments, then the panchayat will be forced to remove all the unauthorised obstructions/encroachments with the assistance of police.
He further said that all expenses incurred in removing the illegal structures shall be paid by the persons who have done the encroachment which will be recovered as if it were a tax imposed under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994.
“We want to widen the road for smooth movement of vehicular traffic. These illegal structures have created a bottleneck in the area and therefore we need to clear them. We have spoken to the locals in the area and most of them have agreed to remove them on their own,” Chimulkar told The Goan.
He said the panchayat in its fortnightly meeting passed a resolution to remove the illegal encroachments after some villagers and panchayat members brought to its notice about major encroachments carried out by locals and builders within the road widening area.
“Due to the encroachments, there are constant traffic jams in the area depriving right of way to locals, vehicles, ambulances, fire brigade etc and therefore there is urgent need to clear all those illegal structures,” he said.
