the goan I network
MARGAO
Information obtained under the Right to Information Act by the residents of Dagwal-Raia has virtually put the retired police personnel in a tight spot, who under the banner of the Police Personnel Co-operative Housing Society, have been carrying out land development and road widening in property bearing survey No 321/1.
Armed with the RTI information, the residents along with former Raia Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes have now decided to knock the doors of the police top brass, including the DGP and the district Police Chief, South to initiate action against the erring retired cops, who have provided the address of the society as the Margao police station.
The residents, who have decided to approach the National Human Rights Commission and the Goa Human Rights Commission, has also threatened to initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the police personnel for initiating development without permissions.
Addressing the media, Xavier categorically informed that the deputy Town Planner Ritesh Shirodkar had refused permission for the housing project on the grounds that the minimum road width required for the development of the property is six meters.
“There’s no six meter road on the ground leading to the property. This is one reason why the TCP had refused permission for the housing project,” Xavier said, adding that the road widening was undertaken by the retired policemen as part of the plan to make the three meter road six meters.
Xavier and the residents disclosed plans to knock the doors of the land revenue authorities to initiate action against the cops to restore the land, where they had undertaken illegal activity, to the original condition.
“The Raia panchayat had issued stop work orders, but the retired policemen had gone ahead with the road widening by deploying labourers in flagrant violation of the TCP rules,” Xavier recalled.
The residents have expressed surprise that none of the authorities, including the Maina Curtorim police have initiated action against the erring retired policemen for the flagrant violations of rules despite being given photographic evidence, and have now resolved to knock the doors of the Human Rights Commissions, besides the Courts seeking justice and stop the policemen from bulldozing their way with the land development.
The former Raia Sarpanch pointed out that a proposal from an adjoining property to develop the land in survey No 320 has also not found favour with the Town and country Planning department on the ground that there’s no six meter road leading to the property.
“Despite this ground reality, the policemen tried to bulldoze by extending the existing road to make it six meters. We hope the DGP and the South district Police Chief will initiate action,” he said.
