Assagao Panchayat wakes up after hill is cut
MAPUSA
Assagao has come under the eye of illegal hill cutting and construction storm, even as the panchayat was oblivious of the illegalities happening right under its nose.
The panchayat, however, has been taking refuge on the fact that it has not received any complaint on the illegalities.
Sources in the know have told The Goan that illegal hill cutting has been going on at Bounta Vaddo, while another illegal construction was going in the same ward.
The illegalities have been going on in Ward 4 which is represented by former sarpanch and present panch, Victor D’Souza.
“Nobody has complained to us in writing. But since you have brought this to our notice, we will inspect the site,” Assagao Sarpanch Priyanka Sangelkar told The Goan.
The sarpanch along with the secretary and the local panch member then went to inspect the site. Later after the inspection, the sarpanch informed The Goan that hill cutting had indeed taken place in the property.
“We have issued a notice to the owner and asked him to furnish the required licences from the TCP for hill cutting. We have also scheduled a joint inspection of the site along with the owner next time,” Sangelkar said.
The panchayat had issued construction licence 29/2015-16 to one person on November 13, 2015, based on the Town and Country Planning clearance obtained by the owner.
The TCP had granted technical clearance for proposed construction of residential house, swimming pool and compound wall to the owner on September 7, 2015.
In case of any cutting of sloppy land or filling of low-lying land, beyond permissible limits, prior permission of the Chief Town Planner shall be obtained before the commencement of the works as per provisions of Section 17 (A) of the TCP Act, 1974 was of the many conditions of the panchayat’s construction licence.
But that only appears to be on paper, as hill cutting has been going in the property for the last 20 days.
Mapusa Town Planner Vinod Kumar told The Goan that he has received no complaints on hill cutting in Assagao.
“I will have to check if the owner of the property has obtained permissions to cut the hill,” Kumar said.
The panchayat, however, were prompt to take action against an illegal construction in the same ward.
The panchayat has issued stop work order to the construction owner and has asked him to comply with regulations.
