Citizen forum demands halt to bungalows with swimming pools
MARGAO
Colva villagers have upped the ante against permissions granted for the construction of bungalows and swimming pools in the fishing ward of the village.
The Colva Civic and Consumer Forum have on Tuesday filed a petition before the Deputy Town Planner, Margao with a plea to suspend/ recall what the Forum termed as “illegal” permissions issued for the project in a land locked property.
Setting two-week deadline on the Dy Town Planner to act on the petition, the Forum has threatened to escalate the matter further to all higher authorities including legal forums, anti-corruption authorities and disciplinary authorities for necessary remedies to safeguard the coastal environment of Goa.
Questioning the Technical Clearance order issued for the project, Forum Secretary Judith Almeida pointed out that the Land Use Plan of the TCP office shows that the complete property falls within the 500 mtrs of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). She, however, said the office has issued a Floor Area Ration (FAR) of 60 per cent for the plot which otherwise should have been capped at 33 per cent as per CRZ 2011 Regulations. “This action is against the Section 16A of the Town & Country Planning Act 1974 which prohibits any development in contravention of any provisions of the Regional Plan in force, in fact it is a punishable offence with fines extended to Rs 1 lakh. This action of your office constitutes connivance to this offence and undermines the land use maps which are notified by the State of Goa,” the Forum stated.
The Forum has demanded forthwith suspension of the Technical Clearance pending an inquiry/review. The Forum has asked for certified copies of the basis and the law which allowed the powers to the TCP office to deviate from the Regional Plan 2021 to grant the said Technical Clearance. “Additionally, this parcel of land is land-locked as per Regulation 2(79) as there is no public road leading to this property. However, the office has considered a 6.0m road access through another owner’s property to grant a multi-dwelling project approval of 5 dwelling units with swimming pools in a land-locked property violating the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations (GLDBCR) 2010, Regulation,” Judith added.
