Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, along with Cavelossim residents, submits a memorandum to CM Pramod Sawant on Thursday.
MARGAO
Following protests by villagers over the alleged destruction of a sand dune at Mobor, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday directed the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to issue a stop-work order against the project and inspect the site to verify the claims. Sawant said the GCZMA Director had been instructed to conduct an inspection, asserting that protecting sand dunes was the government’s responsibility.
His intervention followed a meeting with a delegation of agitated Cavelossim residents led by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas during his visit to a resort in Benaulim. The delegation submitted a memorandum detailing alleged violations, including the destruction of a giant sand dune measuring around 30 metres. Viegas demanded that the property be declared a No Development Zone as punishment.
The meeting came amid protests in Cavelossim, where residents confronted sarpanch Dixon Vaz over the panchayat’s failure to revoke permission for bio-fencing and barricading the resort property. Villagers had stopped a van carrying workers on suspicion that they were heading to the disputed site.
Viegas said the alleged destruction had occurred despite inspections ordered by the South Goa District Collector and a subsequent GCZMA inspection. He questioned why the findings of inspections conducted on September 9 and subsequently by the GCZMA had not been made public.
He also criticised the Town and Country Planning Department and panchayat for not revoking the permissions granted to the project, questioning how the panchayat could approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) without withdrawing them. Meanwhile, villagers demanded that Vaz first revoke the permission and questioned whether the panchayat had gathered sufficient documents and evidence of the alleged destruction before approaching the NGT. They said residents would decide their future course of action after the permission was withdrawn.
Cavelossim p’yat to discuss revoking project permissions
MARGAO: Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz has said he will soon convene a meeting of the panchayat body to discuss villagers’ demand for revoking the permission granted to the controversial project at Mobor for bio-fencing and barricading. The move follows a confrontation with agitated residents, who accused the panchayat of failing to revoke the permissions granted to the company despite the alleged destruction of sand dunes on the property. The villagers unanimously demanded that the permissions be withdrawn.
Cong questions delay in action
MARGAO: Congress leader Warren Alemao has questioned the delay by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz in responding to the alleged destruction of sand dunes at Mobor, despite a stop-work order. Acknowledging Shelton Fernandes and his team for highlighting the issue, Alemao demanded immediate enforcement of the order, an independent inquiry into the destruction, investigation into alleged threats to residents, transparency in project approvals and accountability from authorities responsible for protecting the coastal environment.
