PANAJI
The Comunidade of Sangolda has filed a complaint against the panch of Sangolda panchayat for allegedly illegally filling a low lying field and constructing a shed atop the property in violation of Section 17(A) and 17(B) of the Town and Country Planning Act.
The sheds have been constructed in the field belonging to the comunidade that the panch Ulhas Morajkar, whom they say isn't even the legitimate tenant of, has been occupying for the purpose.
In a complaint filed before the Deputy Collector, Comunidade Attorney Neville D’Souza has accused the Sangolda panchayat of siding with its panch and failing to act against the illegality.
“The panch of the Sangolda Panchayat, Ulhas Morajkar, is misusing his position in the panchayat and is illegally filling a cultivable field in Survey No. 59/6 and 59/7 belonging to the comunidade with mud and illegally constructing permanent sheds,” D’Souza alleged.
“Despite our communications to the local panchayat, the said authority has ignored our requests and allowed this illegality in spite of being aware of their responsibilities and also being knowledgeable that filling of low-lying fields with mud and changing its nature is a criminal and a punishable offence,” he added.
“Besides the filling of mud and changing the nature of the land, the construction of shed is going on in full swing in these survey numbers and more importantly when this panch is not the legitimate owner of this property, the owner being the comunidade of Sangolda,” he said.
“This comunidade, therefore, is forced to believe that the panchayat is fully aware of this criminal act on the part of Morajkar and is conveniently ignoring the same and remaining only a mute spectator, and allowing the panch to continue with his criminal activity,” the letter states.
