the goan I network
MARGAO
Finally, the axe finally fell on some of the remaining houses standing in the way of the proposed Margao ring road near La Flor hotel, but the 11-beleaguered families from Comba, who were displaced by a similar demolition operation around a year ago, said the promise handed out by the government to rehabilitate them on the acquired land in Comba is still a far cry.
Leave alone allotting them the promised apartments on the 7,000 square meters of acquired land at Comba for the displaced people, members of these families insisted that even the foundation stone has not been laid till date for the rehabilitation project. On the contrary, the 11 displaced families, who have been temporarily accommodated at the Rumdamol Housing Board, are keeping their fingers crossed over their permanent rehabilitation.
Says Sanjay Redkar: “We have no idea when exactly will the authorities finally rehabilitate all the 11 families at Comba near the subway. We had agreed for the temporary shifting to the Rumdamol Housing Board after the PWD promised to build the apartments within a year. It’s now 11 months and the foundation stone for the project is still not laid”.
Anxious to return to Comba, which has been their home for generations, Sanjay said the PWD only gives vague replies when confronted over the promised rehabilitation. “When we called on the PWD engineers, they only say the file has gone to the head office for sanction.”
Incidentally, the families found themselves at the receiving end when they recently approached the power officials on receiving hefty power bills at the housing board. “The power officials point blank questioned us about our locus standi in the matter since the tenements where we have been temporarily accommodated belong to the government,” he said.
To a question, he said the representatives of the 11 families had called on then PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar along with local MLA Digambar Kamat over the issue of rehabilitation. “Now that there’s a new PWD Minister. We only hope the rehabilitation plan is executed at the earliest,” he added.
PWD officials looking after the rehabilitation told The Goan that the rehabilitation plan has not taken off due to several reasons. An official pointed out that the PWD had drawn up the plan to accommodate the 11 families in as many apartments, with each apartment consisting of 62 square meters.
He, however, said the PWD was forced to send a revised plan after the affected families called for a 90 square meter apartments. “The file is presently lying with the PWD head office. The project will be taken up once the revised proposal gets the official nod,” the official said, adding that the project will be executed by the PWD with government funds.
To another question, the official said the three displaced families from today’s demolition operation will also be rehabilitated at the Comba land acquired by the government for the purpose.
In today’s demolition operation, around three houses, besides a compound wall were razed down by the demolition squad within no time. The removal of the structures, PWD officials, say is for Phase II of the ring road project.
