MAPUSA
Vast tracts of agricultural land in Calangute are under a siege. Rampant land filling and construction activity on agricultural land has been going on for quite some time in the coastal village.
The land filling activity reportedly started when the election code of conduct came into play between January 4 and March 11 during the State assembly polls and continues unabashedly even after a legitimate government is in place.
In some cases, the deputy collector has issued stop order in the land filling activity after processing complaints received through the flying squad. But obviously, the offenders have no fear of the law or the authority.
Land filling activity continues brazenly and overnight commercial enterprise/shops have sprouted in the fields on either side of the Parra-Saligao and Parra-Arpora roads.
This reporter noticed more than a dozen such land filling cases and new construction/shops in the Parra and Arpora-Nagoa panchayat areas. Authorities concerned seem to be turning a blind eye to the land filling acts in the fields, even though illegal land filling is a cognizable offence under Section 17-A of the Town & Country Planning Act.
“We have powers to take action on illegal land filling particularly if it’s in the agricultural land.
In rare cases, we also issue permissions for land filling subject to certain conditions,” said Sandip Surlakar, Deputy Town Planner, Mapusa. Even the local self-governing bodies appear to have failed to curb
the land filling menace in its jurisdiction.
Every talathi in the respective panchayat is authorized to prepare a checklist of illegal land filling/construction and submit a report to the deputy collector and mamlatdar with a copy to the panchayat. “Often, a talathi will act only when the local panchayat informs him about an illegality. The talathi can also take suo moto action, but this rarely happens,” a source in the know informed.
Parra Sarpanch Delilah Lobo said the panchayat was following procedures and accordingly, notices were served to offenders in the area.
“We have issued inspection notices to everyone. The rocedure is going on and everybody have been served with notices,” was Lobo’s stoic reply to The Goan. Incidentally, Parra sarpanch is the wife of local MLA and Deputy Speaker, Michael Lobo.
According to Augustine D’Souza, acting sarpanch of Arpora-Nagao panchayat, a complaint has been registered against one land filling case before the deputy collector. “In another case, a builder has been temporarily dumping mud in the field from his ongoing construction work in the vicinity. He has promised to clear the dump,” D’Souza said.
But even after serving notices and registering complaints, the land filling/construction activity has not stopped giving an impression that those involved in the activity have political patronage.
