MAPUSA
The Candolim gram sabha on Sunday decided not to allow agricultural land for vehicular parking in the beach village despite requests from some villagers.
Sarpanch Blaize Fernandes informed the gram sabha members that some locals had approached the panchayat requesting to grant them permission to park vehicles in their fields so that they could earn some money.
The villagers, however, objected to the plan as the agricultural land later could be used to carry out construction activity.
In another decision, the gram sabha decided not to allow any commercial activity on the bund from Sinquerim to the Caculo house.
A local Jhon Rodrigues had moved the proposal during the gram sabha meeting.
The Calangute Constituency Forum had opposed the expansion of the bund as it would cause devastation of the vegetation in the area.
The sarpanch assured gram sabha member Anthony D’Souza to conduct a re-inspection of illegal construction that was going on in survey no 112/1 belonging to one, Zulekha Tinwala.
The construction has been taking place within 50 metres of the high tide line at Dando, Candolim.
D’Souza informed that despite a stop work order having been issued by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), the owners continued to carry out construction in the area.
He said five reminders have been sent to the GCZMA about the construction, but the authority was dragging its feet to conduct a re-inspection of the structure.
At the request of the villagers, the sarpanch assured that the panchayat will support the proposal to retain the major district road (MDR) at 15 metres in width instead of 25 metres.
A villager Anil Candolkar said that the Tourism Department has not issued demarcation notices to any properties adjoining the tourism property on the beach.
He said the department had warned that those structures which have encroached on the tourism property will be demolished.
However, he said even a hotel has encroached into the tourism property but they have not been marked for demolition.
