MARGAO
Authorities led by the Salcete Mamlatdar finally descended on the government land at Pajifond on Wednesday to raze the makeshift structure erected by land grabbers in the last few days ahead of the Margao Municipal election.
The bigger question, however, remains unanswered “ whether Hospicio and the Health Department will protect the land from encroachers or succumb to the political class supporting the mushrooming 'basties' on the land as part of vote bank politics.
Armed with an order issued by the Sub-divisional Magistrate, Margao Jyoti Kumari, the Salcete Mamlatdar, Prataprao Gaonkar with policemen and workers in tow razed down the hut type structures erected by individuals with the hope of converting them as residential houses in the run-up to the Municipal election.
While the demolition squad cleared the government land of the illegal structures, the Salcete Mamlatdar made it categorically clear that Hospicio should take steps to ensure they protect their land from encroachment. He further said that it is purely for the Hospicio management to take a call on filing FIRs against all those who made an abortive bid to grab the land ahead of the elections.
“We have made it plain clear to the Hospicio officials present during the demolition that they should maintain a watch over the land and protect it from further encroachment,” Gaonkar said, adding that since the land in question belongs to the Hospicio, the Health officials should take steps to protect the land.
The Salcete Mamlatdar’s comments assume significance and come against the backdrop of the bitter fact the attempts to encroach on the government land continued even on Wednesday, prompting the Fatorda police to deploy a posse of policemen to avert a law and order situation.
Incidentally, the rampant encroachment had come to light on Tuesday following a clash between two groups of people, out to encroach on the land, only raising questions whether the authorities had gone into slumber allowing prime government land to be occupied and encroached upon right under the nose of the agencies.
