Ongoing work to shift a Holy Cross located within private property at Kumar Vaddo in Anjuna.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MAPUSA
Tensions continue to simmer in Anjuna over the ongoing road-widening works, as a fresh police complaint has been filed by a resident of Anjuna, alleging trespass and unauthorised activity on private property amid ongoing road-widening work in the coastal village.
Shalini Gomes, a native of Kumar Vaddo, Anjuna, who currently resides in Valsad, Gujarat, submitted a complaint on Thursday to the Anjuna Police.
In her statement, Gomes claimed that a cross located within her ancestral property was being shifted without the consent of her family. She further alleged that there has been an encroachment on her property and that road-widening work has commenced without any prior intimation or dialogue with the affected landowners.
“The road widening activity has been started without our knowledge, and there has been no discussion with our family. We were kept completely in the dark,” she stated.
Gomes has urged the police to immediately halt all construction activities on her land until an amicable resolution is reached between her family and the residents of the vaddo. “We seek a peaceful and lawful solution. Until then, all work must stop,” she added.
This incident comes shortly after RTI activist and Chapora resident Rajan Ghate filed a separate complaint at the Anjuna Police Station. Ghate accused the Lobo couple MLAs of criminal trespass and unlawful demolition of privately-owned structures in Anjuna, claiming that due legal procedures were not followed and that actions were taken in violation of court orders and established norms.
He alleged that several structures, including boundary walls on private land, were razed without following due legal procedures and in blatant violation of court orders and established norms.
Despite the rising opposition from locals and the growing number of complaints, road widening activity in Anjuna continues unabated. Residents say that levelling and tarring of the road is in full swing, and even electricity poles are being shifted to accommodate the broader stretch. Many villagers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and communication in the execution of the project.
