MARGAO
Former deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar along with members of the Gandhi Market Readymade and Vegetable Vendors Association descended at the Davorlim Panchayat Ghar to demand house numbers for the 145 houses in the village as per the new government law on issue of house numbers.
Sarpanch Herculan Niasso, however, maintained that the Panchayat cannot give the house numbers when the house is illegal, they have no sale deed and that their names do not figure in Form I & XIV.
The former Minister maintained that the 145 applicants had applied to the Davorlim panchayat to issue them the house numbers based on the guidelines laid down by the government concerning issuance of house numbers. He said while the rest of Goa has started implementing the government guidelines on issuance of house numbers, the Davorlim panchayat is dilly-dallying on the issue. “The panchayat secretary is authorised to issue the house numbers, which do not bestow the structure within legal status, but the occupant can use the house number to avail many a government scheme,” he said.
He further said that all the houses have obtained power and water connections issued by the Health department. “I have taken up cudgels for the 145 applicants since they are all members of our Gandhi Market Vendors Association. If the panchayat does not want to issue the house numbers, let them take a decision so that the applicants can knock the doors of the Additional Director of Panchayats,” Ajgaonkar said.
Sarpanch Herculan Niasso said the panchayat cannot give house numbers for the structure which have come up on agriculture land. “We give the house numbers only to the structure which has the valid documents such as Form I & XIV and there is sale deed. We do not know how they have built the structures and how the Health Department has issued the power and water connections for the structures,” he said.
