MAPUSA
At the Assagao gram sabha, villagers raised concerns over illegal constructions on comunidade land, allegedly backed by local politicians.
Residents urged the panchayat to take immediate action to curb this growing issue.
A local resident, Kedar Kamat claimed that multiple illegal houses had sprung up on Assagao’s comunidade land, hinting at a potential scam.
Kamat alleged that these constructions were supported by certain politicians using the occupants as a vote bank.
"Houses have been built on Assagao’s comunidade land, but the residents are voters of Mapusa, with house numbers allotted by the Mapusa Municipal Council. This is a clear fraud, supported by political and administrative powers," Kamat alleged.
He called for swift action, warning that the situation could tarnish the reputation of the Assagao panchayat.
Initially, Sarpanch Hanumant Naik passed the responsibility to the Assagao comunidade managing committee.
However, after further discussion, he agreed to send letters to the concerned authorities, urging them to stop further construction in the area.
Kamat emphasized that all illegal houses should be demolished, and the land restored.
The status of the controversial Rumba Club also came up during the meeting. Villagers expressed frustration over the panchayat’s prolonged legal battle against the club.
The sarpanch informed them that fees were being paid to an advocate to handle the case, but the villagers demanded quicker action, pushing for the club to be sealed due to irregularities.
A resolution to seal the club will be forwarded to the deputy collector for further action.
Another resident, Alex Rodrigues, raised concerns about the forest department's policy of allowing trees to be cut down with a minimal deposit of Rs 100 per tree, while requiring three times the number of trees to be replanted.
Rodrigues argued that replanting the required trees in the same space was impractical, especially for large-scale developments.
He suggested the responsibility of monitoring replanting should lie with the forest department, not the panchayat.
The sarpanch assured that the panchayat’s biodiversity committee would address this issue with the forest department.
Other issues, including large-scale development projects and traffic problems in Assagao were also discussed during the gram sabha.
