MAPUSA
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira urged the State government to explore the possibility of utilising comunidade land in the village by taking all stakeholders into confidence as development works were being hampered due to the unavailability of land.
“Land is a major issue in Aldona constituency. Panchayats have difficulty in getting land for taking up development works as most of it in the constituency is owned by the comunidade. The government needs to awaken to reality and see how the comunidade land, without the detriment of the comunidade, can be utilised for the greater benefit of the villages where they are located. We need a solution which is agreeable across the board,” Ferreira said.
The MLA was speaking during Goa Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai's visit to Aldona as part of the Goa Sampurna Yatra last week.
“We have a peculiar situation in Aldona panchayat, where we are facing contempt of court for not having a material recovery facility (MRF) due to the unavailability of land. I request the Governor as well as the government to help us get the land immediately,” the MLA said.
The High Court of Bombay at Goa which is monitoring the garbage disposal issue in the local bodies had directed various panchayats to file affidavits for failure in setting up material recovery facilities in villages.
When the matter recently came up for hearing in the High Court, Aldona sarpanch Ashwin D’Souza informed the court that the village panchayat will be setting up the facility and making it operational within 15 days.
The High Court directed the Aldona sarpanch to be present in the court in the next hearing and if he fails to set up the facility, to file an affidavit for non-compliance despite repeated directions from the court.
Ferreira also urged the governor to explore the possibility of getting artists in music and dance from Kerala who can come and perform in Aldona.
“Our Governor is not just a constitutional authority, but a human being at heart. He has gone around seeing people's problems, to hear their grievances and resolving as many issues as possible, and even distributing financial assistance for dialysis patients. He is genuinely concerned about the common man. I have noticed this from my interactions with him,” he said.
