MAPUSA
In response to mounting concerns over purported illegal activities within farmlands falling under its jurisdiction, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has taken decisive action.
On Wednesday, a comprehensive inspection targeting at least six allegedly unauthorised constructions, involving council members and their relatives, unfolded in Camarcazana, Mapusa.
MMC Chief Officer Chandrankant Shetkar has constituted a committee comprising senior civic officials, including engineers, tasked with investigating the reported illicit business operations occurring within the khazan fields of Camarcazana.
The committee’s mandate encompasses probing allegations of illegal land filling, unauthorised constructions, and the issuance of establishment licences and health certificates for water and electricity connections to implicated parties.
A dedicated team of officials, spearheaded by Municipal Engineer Subha Amonkar and Sangeeta Satardekar, alongside Junior Engineer Manthan Kaskar, Municipal Inspector Shekar Gauns, and ward supervisor Sainath Dhargalkar, conducted a coordinated inspection across various sites in Camarcazana.
Notably, the MMC’s efforts were bolstered by the presence of several local residents and members of the Tenants Association of Camarcasanacho Bundh (TACB), actively collaborating with the MMC team during the investigation.
The MMC’s proactive stance was galvanised by the TACB’s formal complaint, citing a slew of alleged illicit business activities facilitated through unauthorised landfilling of fields in Camarcazana.
Pertinently, despite the allegations, the MMC had previously issued establishment licences to individuals purportedly engaged in these illicit activities.
At least two council members and a relative of a councillor have been linked to the unauthorised operations within the farmlands. The TACB has furnished the MMC with various survey numbers pinpointing locations where the purportedly illegal activities have transpired.
The MMC intends to dispatch formal notices to alleged offenders, compelling them to substantiate claims of land ownership. The civic authority will also prepare a comprehensive report on the matter and decide on the appropriate course of action.
President of TACB, Stephen Coutinho underscored the urgency for MMC intervention, advocating for the cancellation of licences issued to offenders and the demolition of illicit structures, restoring the farmlands to their original state.
Meanwhile, John Lobo, the TACB Secretary, highlighted the criticality of preserving khazan lands designated as no development zones under CRZ5 regulations, emphasising the impermissibility of landfilling within such areas.
In the event of governmental inaction, the TACB remains steadfast in its resolve to seek legal recourse to safeguard the farmlands against encroachment.
“We want to protect our fields come what may and to achieve that we are ready to take all necessary steps,” Lobo maintained.
