MARGAO
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira has called for the district administration to set up a mechanism in place to expedite disposal of applications for land conversions.
Saying that people have been complaining of pending applications for conversions, the Minister, however, pointed out that many an application have been pending with the authorities for want of follow up by the respective parties.
“People have been shouting that applications for conversions have been pending with the authorities. But, I have found that though people have made the applications for conversions, they do not come to the respective offices for a follow up as a result of which the applications remain pending,” he said.
To tide over the situation, the Minister has suggested to the authorities to send a reminder to the applicants to visit the office for a follow up. “If the party does not respond to the notice, it is to be assumed the applicant is not interested in the conversion. They should then not blame the authorities for the delay,” he told the media at his weekly Friday darbar in the South Goa Collectorate.
The Minister also reviewed the issue of regularisation of houses, saying inspections will soon take place before the cases are settled.
He also took stock of the situation vis-Ã -vis the repairs of the toilets and washrooms in the South Goa District Collectorate with PWD officials. He also told the officials to submit to him the pending files concerning the repairs of the Collectorate building to get approvals from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the PWD portfolio.
As far as the issue of road raised by the residents of Utorda after the laying of the double track by the Railways, Sequeira said the road issue is being resolved, adding, ‘the road issue is no more an issue. It will take some time to build the road’.
