MAPUSA
The residents of Arpora-Nagoa have unanimously resolved to oppose the hosting of the popular Sunburn electronic dance music (EDM) festival in their village.
At a gram sabha meeting held on Sunday, the village panchayat decided to formally communicate with the local comunidade, requesting to be informed of any proposals received from the festival’s organizers.
Raising the issue, local resident Peter de Souza expressed strong opposition to the festival, citing its negative impact on the village. “It’s destructive. We should not allow such festivals in the village,” de Souza asserted.
Sarpanch Roshan Redkar assured the gathering that the panchayat would act proactively to prevent the festival from being held in Arpora-Nagoa.
In addition to opposing Sunburn, De Souza urged the gram sabha to pass resolutions against specific amendments to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act.
These include Sections 16(B), 17(2), and 39(A), which allow changes to land use zones from agriculture or orchard to settlement.
He also opposed projects approved by the Investment Promotion Board (IPB), accusing the government of exploiting comunidade land for private interests.
“The government is taking comunidade land and selling it to outsiders. This happened in Tivim, where vast tracts of land were given away for a private university at a nominal price,” he alleged.
However, the sarpanch clarified that the gram sabha and panchayat lacked jurisdiction over these issues and advised residents to take their concerns directly to the TCP department or government authorities.
The meeting also addressed local issues, including stray cattle management and animal registration.
Residents highlighted the nuisance caused by cattle squatting on roads, which poses a safety hazard.
A suggestion was made to tie reflective belts around the cattle’s necks to reduce night-time accidents.
The sarpanch informed the gathering that an agreement had been signed with a gaushala in Mayem-Sikerim to manage stray cattle.
Concerns were also raised about the legality of a sub-health centre built on paddy field land owned by the comunidade.
De Souza questioned the lack of due diligence before the building’s construction.
In response, the sarpanch defended the project, stating that it served the public interest by benefiting economically weaker sections of the community.
The gram sabha ended with a resolution to register all pet dogs and cattle in the village to improve accountability and management.
