MARGAO
Cuncolim Municipal Chairperson Laximan Naik on Sunday descended near the hill cutting site at Panzorconne along the NH-66, promising to set in motion the process to ascertain the status of the work if his office receives any complaint from the public.
Congress workers under the leadership of Cuncolim block Congress committee Assiz Norohna also visited the site, demanding to know the legal status of the hill cutting at the site.
Accompanied by Vice-chairperson Anthony Vaz and ward councillor Gauri Desai, the CMC Chairperson had a first-hand experience of the hill cutting work, which has been going at the site for the last many days.
After having a look at the ongoing works, Naik pointed out that the hill cutting work had been openly going on at the site for quite some time, but his office received no complaint from the public till date. “I had put up a notice on the Municipal notice board asking people to lodge their complaints with documents whenever they come across any activity”, he said, adding that no such complaint was received by his office till date.
Saying that the matter falls in the domain of the Deputy Collector and the Town and Country Planning department, the CMC Chairperson said the Civic body will write to the office of deputy Collector, Margao seeking to know the status of the hill cutting and land development.
“We had called the flying squad, but someone said the surveyor cannot be called now”, he said, while saying the flying squad may come on Monday or Tuesday.
Avi Desai wondered why no board has been put up at the site till date when the massive activity with earth moving machinery is going on for the last many days.
Cuncolim Block Congress president Assiz Norohna said people of Cuncolim will not allow anything that will destroy the ecology of the village.
Meanwhile, former Elvis Gomes has slammed the government over allowing hill cutting at Panzorcone by a private developer using heavy earth moving machinery.
Terming it a reflection of the ugly face of the government that had given up on the protection of Environment, Gomes who is a local of the area where the hill cutting is going on said that the pristine nature of the place was set to be a thing of the past due to the ongoing work of flattening of the hill that is facing the present NH that leads to Cuncolim bazar area.
He also said that even if the development was legally permissible, the government should stop it and compensate the owner after taking over the land in view of strategic role the hill range played in regulating the weather in the area. “We have fond memories of this hill which we used to climb regularly during our summer vacations. Large volume of water also flows downstream into the ‘uskini bandh’ which will get affected. Any disturbance to the ecology of the area will have long term impact on ground water as well as surface water. Even if there is a lawful owner and the development is permissible (with ministers becoming vendors of any kind of permissions,) yet the government must step in and prevent destruction of the hill by compensating the owner if need be” said Gomes regretting that hill cutters were themselves occupying seats of power.
