MAPUSA
Protesting Calangute locals on Sunday decided to file an FIR against the builder of a starred hotel for blocking the traditional access to a chapel and to march before the local panchayat on September 13 for issuing occupancy certificate to the hotel without resolving the access issue.
The locals complained that they faced a lot of hardship to gain entry to the St Anthony chapel located at Gauravaddo East, Calangute as the traditional access to the chapel was blocked after the starred hotel came up in the area.
A large number of villagers along with the committee members of the chapel and the Calangute Parish Priest Fr Polly Lobo held a meeting at the chapel site to plan out the next course of action. The Calangute Constituency Forum has also backed the villagers in their fight against the injustice meted to the villagers.
The aggrieved villagers demanded an FIR to be filed against the builder and simultaneously to march before the Calangute panchayat in order to resolve the issue.
Calangute Parish Priest Fr Polly Lobo called for a meeting to raise the objection against such illegal activities which disturb the peace of the village.
He stated that the traditional access to the chapel should be restored to its original status and appealed to the village panchayat to act swiftly in the matter.
The President of Calangute Constituency Forum, Premanand Divkar, raised doubts on the action of the authorities to clear high-rise projects and hurriedly issue occupancy certificates to the projects.
“The occupancy certificate issued to the project should be revoked as the building has many discrepancies which have been overlooked by the panchayat,” Divkar said.
CCF member Cotildes Braganza said the panchayat has issued the occupancy certificate to the project without considering the objections filed by the villagers.
