Prof Wagh warns of threat to village greenery if trend continues
Old Goa
The Azossim-Mandur gram sabha on Sunday discussed concerns over projects being approved in private forest areas. Villagers warned that if such approvals are not opposed, it could lead to the destruction of the area’s greenery.
Speaking at the meeting, local and AAP leader Prof Ramrao Wagh said projects are being cleared in private forests without any change in zoning.
“There are already two such cases. If this continues, more projects will come up in nearby private forests, and the green cover of the village will disappear,” Wagh warned. He urged residents to raise their voices now to protect the environment.
He pointed out that one of the projects is quite large and has already received several occupancy certificates from the panchayat.
He added that this could change the population mix of the village in the long run.
Prof Wagh also referred to another project that has been granted an EHN number. He asked the panchayat to carry out a joint site inspection involving villagers, panchayat members and officials from departments such as PWD, electricity, forests and water resources.
“Only then will the public understand the ground reality,” he said.
Sarpanch Prashant Naik agreed to hold a joint inspection and said notices would be sent to the concerned departments.
Villagers also raised the issue of panchayat accounts not being audited since 2019. They questioned why Mandur is the only panchayat where this has not
been done.
Sarpanch Naik said no audits have been done since the panchayat was formed.
“There was no audit during the previous term for three years. I have reported this to higher authorities, but there is still no solution,” he added.
Another issue discussed was the partial hotmixing of the Pilar–Old Goa main road. Locals said the uneven surface could be dangerous for two-wheeler riders, especially during the rains, and demanded full hotmixing before the monsoon.
Naik said PWD officials told him the road would be fully hotmixed only after a new water pipeline is installed. But residents asked whether they would have to wait and face risks until then, and urged the panchayat to write to the PWD to complete the work sooner.
Panch Francisco Po raised concerns about drug use by migrants near the railway bridge in his ward.
“There is drug consumption at night. We need police patrolling in the area,” he said.
Sarpanch Naik said the panchayat would write to the Agassaim police. He also expressed concern that the police have not yet carried out a tenant verification drive in the village.
“The issue became serious after an infant’s feet were found in the village, but even now no verification has been done,” he said.
