We are the final authority on matters pertaining to areas within our jurisdiction. No matter who granted them permissions, this council will reject them outright. It is your duty to put the council resolutions into practice. Take legal advice, do it according to rules, but we are not ready to accept that council can be bypassed in such measures,”
CMC councillors
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CMC resolves to ban
activities on Konko Island
To write to govt to take over island from private possession
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THE GOAN NETWORK
CANACONA
Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) on Friday resolved to ban any sort of activities on Konko Island and decided to write to the State government to take over the island from private possession.
At the council meeting, all other agenda points were kept aside, as all the 10 councillors grouped together to supersede the chief officer's piece of advice of property/island was privately owned and unanimously resolved not to allow any development on Konko Island off Palolem beach.
It was also resolved to meet Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and pressurize the State government to take over the island.
Earlier raising the issue, Dayanand Pagui said the council should put its strong foot to stop any sort of development on Konko Island and in coordination with the State government should initiate measures to acquire it from private party.
Councillors Divakar Pagui, Kishor Shet, Shamsunder Dessai were among other councillors who spoke on Konko Island raising all sorts of concern and relating the ongoing activities as anti-people and against nature's safety measures, including security concern of the residential locality.
“If it was not for Konko, Palolem would have been seriously affected during the Tsunami waves a few years ago. If vegetation is destroyed, the north east cyclonic winds will destroy entire Palolem and beyond,” asserted Dayanand Pagui.
Divakar Pagui said the authorities concerned should take immediate measures to inspect and fix responsibilities for carrying out landscaping, fitting water tanks, tree felling, concrete works, erection of wooden huts, jetty without obtaining permission, before it takes further toll.
Kishor Shet said if activities are allowed, than drugs and all other ill-wills will trample locals safety.
When all the councillors pressed for passage of a resolution, Chief Officer Chandrakant Shetkar speaking on the move informed that “representative of the Mumbai-based party appeared before him and sought eight days time to produce all documents/permissions. Being a private property, we should also be particular in taking such decisions. We had to act only according to rules.”
Almost all the councillors were on their feet to ask the chief officer for what the council was there if party takes all permissions without local bodies affirmation and whether that fits in rules.
“We are the final authority on matters pertaining to areas within our jurisdiction. No matter who granted them permissions, this council will reject them outright. It is your duty to put the council resolutions into practice. Take legal advice, do it according to rules, but we are not ready to accept that council can be bypassed in such measures,” said the councillors.
Members also suggested that if the authorities do not stop the ongoing development on Konko Island, they are even ready to go for public participation and take their opinions on the lines of Gram Sabhas being held in the villages.
Councillors also demanded a joint inspection, by the chief officer and his team, of the ongoing activities and damages caused on Konko Island.
