MAPUSA
The controversy over an alleged illegal construction on a hill near the Anjuna beach intensified on Wednesday, with Calangute MLA Michael Lobo defending the project and dismissing the public outcry as “politically motivated”.
The property is reportedly owned by Daniel Lobo, son of the MLA couple Michael and Delilah Lobo.
Responding to the allegations, Lobo maintained that the ongoing work was fully legal and backed by approvals from the government departments concerned.
“This work has all valid permits. The people who are opposing it are creating unnecessary trouble. The allegations are politically driven,” Lobo said.
He also claimed that the wall was being constructed as a protective measure to prevent soil erosion and safeguard private property adjoining the coastal slope.
However, villagers and local activists have rubbished Lobo’s claims, alleging that the project is being carried out in violation of CRZ rules and without panchayat approval.
They accused the Water Resources Department (WRD) of overstepping its jurisdiction by undertaking the wall construction in a private plot and demanded immediate suspension of work pending verification.
Residents from Anjuna have also raised environmental concerns, warning that such hilltop and beachfront interventions could alter the natural drainage pattern and trigger coastal degradation.
