MARGAO
With the government bulldozing with plans to set up an IRB camp on the Leprosy Hospital land at Curtorim, local villagers are bracing up for an agitation to oppose the project tooth and nail.
A day after Curtorim village Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues along with panchayat members and local residents and former ZP member Moreno Rebello descended at the Leprosy hospital land to see for themselves the status of the land, Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Rodrigues on Wednesday dashed off a letter to the panchayat to convene a gram sabha meeting to discuss the issue threadbare.
In his letter addressed to the sarpanch, the MLA underlined the need to call for the gram sabha before the upcoming Budget Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly in order to discuss the grave issue of transfer of one lakh square meter of Leprosy Hospital land to the Goa Police for setting up of IRB (lndian Reserve Battalion) camp. In the letter, Reginaldo pointed out that in the past, Curtorim villagers and he (both in the Assembly and outside) have voiced our strong opposition against setting up of IRB camp on Leprosy Hospital land in the village.
Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues told The Goan that the government should leave the Leprosy Hospital land for a project which is beneficial to the Curtorim village. He said that the government should find out alternate land to house the IRB camp for the Goa Police and leave the Leprosy Hospital land admeasuring one lakh square meters for projects for the benefit of the village as a whole. “The IRB camp can come up anywhere in the State. The Leprosy Hospital land should be put to use either for the health needs of the villagers or a project which will benefit the entire village,” Milagres said.
Around two-three years ago, the Curtorim panchayat had sought NOC from the Health department to allot a small area in the hospital land for segregation of waste. Not only was the request rejected, but a senior Health Officer replied back to the panchayat saying that the land in question admeasuring one lakh square meters has been transferred to the Police department to set up the IRB camp.
Around two years ago, plans were afoot to utilise the Leprosy Hospital land to set up an Ayush Hospital in South Goa, but the project was later shifted to the TB complex atop Monte Hill, Margao.
Incidentally, the host of resolutions adopted at the Curtorim gram sabha seemed to have not moved the government to scrap the IRB project. On the contrary, the government appears going ahead with the plan to set up the camp on the land. The Curtorim sarpanch said the delegation that inspected the land in question saw some markings being done on the land, indicating that the government has not abandoned plans to set up the IRB camp on the Leprosy Hospital land.
