MAPUSA
Anger is brewing among the locals of Camurlim village after the sarpanch went back on his word and has failed to issue a stop work order and withdraw the licence granted to the mega project at Khoirat, Camurlim.
The villagers are planning to take a morcha in protest against the panchayat if the sarpanch fails to take action against the project within next week.
At the gram sabha meeting held last Sunday, Camurlim Sarpanch Pandurang Khorjuvenkar had announced to revoke the licence issued to the controversial project and also issue a stop work order on the ongoing work at the site by August 16.
Interestingly, at the panchayat body meeting on August 16 only the panchayat secretary Viraj Kinalkar and panchayat member Laximan Naik were present while the sarpanch and six other panchayat members remained absent.
In absence of a quorum, the panchayat secretary adjourned the meeting.
This development has not gone down with the villagers who are planning to protest against the panchayat.
A local resident Nubert Fernandes said that the villagers had opposed the “illegal” mega project in survey no 172/1-N and made several complaints against it in the panchayat but the sarpanch has been issuing fake notices and taking no action whatsoever.
He said due to fear of the villagers the sarpanch did not have the gram sabha in July and only after the locals complained to the BDO he was forced to take the gram sabha on August 13.
“Despite assuring us the sarpanch has not revoked the licence nor issued the stop work order. He is just fooling the villagers and making false promises. The sarpanch and the panchayat body have no interest in the villagers and their sentiments,” Fernandes said.
Another villager told The Goan that the panchayat has no option but to bow down to the wishes of people because the entire village was against the project.
“The sarpanch will have to either revoke the licence or resign from his post. We the villagers have made up our mind and we will not back down come what may,” the villager said.
Another local informed that the sarpanch and the panchayat members must be indebted to the concerned builder and therefore hesitating to take action.
“We have information that the sarpanch and the members have been bought over and that is why they are refusing to take action against the project,” the local alleged.
During the gram sabha last Sunday, angry villagers took the sarpanch and the panchayat members to task against the controversial project.
The villagers cornered the panchayat body during the meeting and the sarpanch was then forced to give an assurance to withdraw the licence.
The Revolutionary Goans Party has been strongly backing the villagers against the controversial mega project in the village.
