Residents plan to form a committee to legally take on housing projects
Opposition to mega building projects is growing andspreading to other parts of the State.
The latest to join to the opposition brigade are locals fromCanacona.
Many builders from outside the State buy vast tracts of landat throw away prices from locals and build huge projects, locals informed.
It is also learnt that many foreigners buy land in the nameof their Indian friends.
Prominent people from Canacona are quite upset with somelocal landlords, who sell their land to “outsiders.”
Most of the residents in Canacona municipal and panchayatareas have decided to oppose mega housing projects. They have also decided toform a committee to take on the mega projects legally.
“Four village panchayats out of total seven, namely Khola,Agonda, Poinguinim and Loliem-Polem have opposed many proposed mega projectsand also decided to withdraw licenses which were granted to them earlier,without proper documentation,” said Saplesh Desai, a panch of Agonda.
“The Agonda Village Panchayat has decided to oppose permissionfor hotel projects in future,” informed Sarpanch, Dilza Pagi.
In an unprecedented development, residents of Khola havesaid a firm “No” to mega projects, informed Sarpanch Pandari Phrabhu Desaisaid.
At a recent gram sabha, residents voiced apprehensions overthe fact that vast tracts of land were either sold or were in the process ofbeing sold to high-profile buyers in recent years.
According to Mahesh Naik, sarpanch of Poinguinim, thepanchayat recently passed a resolution not to grant any permission for megaprojects in the village.
The locals are also concerned about the burden that megaprojects will create on infrastructure, including roads, electricity, watersupply, garbage disposal etc.
Referring to a mega-project very close to the beach atPatnem-Columb, in Canacona, councilor Mahadev Desai said the project threatensto trample over all vestiges of Goenkarponn in the vicinity.
The project comprising of more than 200 flats is proposed tobe constructed in a ward in Patnem-Columb.
The influx due to this project will have a devastatingimpact on the infrastructure of the village, considering the huge requirementsof power, water and garbage disposal.
“The sociological impact will also be irreversible, as theoverwhelming majority of the flat owner will be outsiders, given the exorbitantprices of the apartments and the known inclination of non-Goan builders to seekbuyers from outside the State,” Desai said.
It is observed that in Canacona taluka, from Polem to Khola,vast tracts of land have been sold to outsiders.
