MARGAO
The ongoing agitation against the alleged hill-cutting at Sao Jose de Areal on Sunday saw villagers joining hands to stop all development at the site and vowing to protect the village hills and mountains for posterity.
After foiling repeated attempts to carry out the land cutting at the site in question, agitated villagers on Sunday assembled at the Padribhat grounds, before marching in a procession to the site to lodge their protest and to take a pledge to oppose the project.
Sarpanch Joycee Dias, deputy sarpanch Valente Fernandes, ward member Gabriel Oliveira, villagers and activists including Freddy Travasso and Peter Viegas marched to the site in question.
At a meeting held at the Padribhat grounds, the sarpanch briefed the people on the steps taken by the panchayat to stop what she termed as hill-cutting under the guise of land-cutting.
The sarpanch pointed out that the owner and the land developers have taken the panchayat for granted when the Goa Panchayat Raj Act mandates any person to take permission from the local body. She pointed out that the villagers should now unite and foil all attempts to raze down the hillock saying the land developer appears determined to bulldoze with the alleged hill cutting.
Deputy sarpanch Valente Fernandes pointed out that the land developer has obtained permission under section 17-A signed by a deputy Town Planner when the Chief Town Planner is the only authority mandated to grant permission under the section.
He further said the land developer has not obtained the mandatory conversion sanad before undertaking the alleged hill-cutting.
Demanding to know how the hilly land was notified in the Regional Plan as a settlement zone, Valente said the present situation would not have arisen if the hillock was not notified as a settlement zone.
Ward member Gabriel Oliveira urged the people of Areal to unite and protect the village hills and mountains from destruction.
Activist Peter Viegas pointed out that the owner and the land developer tried to raze down the alleged hills, even as he urged the people to unite and save the village from destruction. He said the land developer would have razed down the hill taking advantage of the intervening holidays if not for the intervention by the villagers.
Activist Freddy Travasso demanded to know whether the land developer has obtained the mandatory permissions and urged TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane to intervene and stop the activity. “The TCP Minister should know that people of Areal are agitating against the alleged hill cutting,” he said.
