the goan I network
MARGAO
Strange it may seem, but true that while the government has drawn up ambitious plans to bulldoze projects in Salcete villages, it does not want to concede even an inch of its land for the local self-government panchayat bodies for waste management.
If Curtorim witnessed an uproar over the government’s plan to set up an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp on the Leprosy hospital land admeasuring one lakh square metres, neighbouring Davorlim village has found to their shock and surprise that the government does not want to part with even a small portion of the land for waste segregation and to set up a composting machine when the 1.14 lakh square metres is acquired for multi-purpose utility project.
Both the Curtorim and Davorlim village panchayats had knocked the doors of the government departments, with a request for land admeasuring just 500 square metres in these government-owned properties, but their plea had no takers. In fact, the panchayat bodies received a snub from the government departments stating that the land in question has already been earmarked for a purpose.
Take the case of the Davorlim land, which was acquired by the Digambar Kamat-led Congress government for multi-purpose utility public projects. After the South Goa district Collector capped the land acquisition proceedings, the land in question has now been handed over to the Education department to set up an education hub. The village panchayat headed by Sarpanch Sahar Sheikh realised the bitter truth that the village land is now in possession of the Education department, throwing the panchayat plans to set up a waste sorting cum composting machine on the acquired land haywire. Says Sarpanch Sahar: “The panchayat had requested the district Collector, South to grant us land admeasuring 500 square metres out of the 1.14 lakh square metres acquired land for waste sorting. Instead, we have now received a letter from the Collectorate stating the land is handed over to the Education department to set up an education hub.”
The sarpanch conceded that the panchayat would have not encountered any space issue to install the composting machine had the government made available just 500 square metres of the acquired land for the multi-purpose utility project.
In the past, the previous panchayat body had made a plea to the government to reserve a portion of the acquired land for public utility projects beneficial for the villagers, but in vain.
Curtorim panchayat is faced with a similar situation. The Curtorim village panchayat headed by Sarpanch Rui Menezes had dashed off a letter to the Directorate of Health Services to allocate land admeasuring 500 square metres out of the total three lakh square metres of Leprosy hospital land for waste sorting.
That the panchayat’s request was rejected by the government became evident when the Director (Administration) & Estate Officer, Director of Health Services Maria Seomara de Souza replied to the village sarpanch stating that the Health Services has already transferred land admeasuring one lakh square metres to the Police department to set up the IRB’s camp.
The Health department’s decision to hand over the hospital land to set up an IRB camp at Curtorim has not gone down well with the local people. Sarpanch Rui, Deputy Sarpanch Simon Barretto and the local MLA Reginaldo Lourenco have demanded that the government scrap the IRB project on the hospital land and instead utilise the acquired land to host projects beneficial for the local populace. Curtorim Bio-diversity Committee Chairman, J Santan Rodrigues, who has gone a step further to suggest that the Leprosy hospital land is developed into a bio-diversity park, wondered why the government does not want to part away even a small portion for waste management.
