Calangute locals raising issues during the gram sabha meeting on Sunday. Captured by : Agnelo Pereira
MAPUSA
The people of Calangute on Sunday decided to march to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) office in protest against approvals granted to construction projects on hills and fields and in the process disturbing the ecological balance in the village.
The villagers at the gram sabha also toyed with the idea of declaring certain hills as eco-sensitive or heritage zones so that no development or construction can be carried out in those hills.
The gram sabha unanimously decided to gather infront of the government complex in Mapusa on October 27 and meet the Town Planner.
A local Clotildes Braganca informed that a construction of seven residential villas with swimming pools was being carried out in survey no 26/3 while another construction of villas 1 & 2 was happening in the property bearing survey no 26/1 (part) of Calangute.
Similarly, construction of residential villas was proposed in survey no 24/19, she said.
“Two of these projects pertain to deforestation by felling of trees and hill cutting having a gradient of 1.10 while the third is encroaching on agricultural land which will have a detrimental effect on human habitation and the wildlife and disturb the ecological balance of the village,” Braganca said.
She said the hilly lands should not be squandered and destroyed in the name of development and objected to issuing of permissions to structures of permanent nature in fields and low-lying areas.
Another local resident, Benedict Lobo suggested declaring the hills as eco-sensitive zones to prevent the authorities from granting licences for construction in those areas.
“We can declare the hills in our village as eco-sensitive or heritage zones so that the concerned authorities will not be able to grant construction approvals in those areas,” said Lobo, who is the chairman of Bio-Diversity Board of the village.
Some of the villagers suggested that the panchayat should impose a blanket ban on issuing of construction licences as the village did not get proper electricity supply besides suffering from othe infra needs.
Calangute Sarpanch, Joseph Sequeira did not agree with the idea of stopping construction licences but suggested that the villagers and the panchayat members can march to the TCP office.
“We will gather in front of the government complex in Mapusa on October 27 at 11 am and meet the town planner over granting of permissions on hills and fields,” Sequeira said.
He also blamed the people of Calangute for the sorry state of affairs vis-Ã -vis the land-filling and rapid constructions taking place in the village.
The sarpanch also disclosed that the panchayat will also challenge the outline development plan (ODP) for Calangute in the High Court.
