Structures dotting the Monte Hill at Pajifond despite complaint lodged by Hospicio Medical Superintendent Dr Rajendra Borkar in November 2023.
MARGAO
Will the High Court directions in the suo moto public interest litigation offer any hope of clearing the illegal structures and encroachments dotting on the hilly and sloppy land owned by Hospicio Hospital at Monte Hill, Pajifond?
Apart from the encroachments and structures on government property, it is feared that the illegalities pose a threat to the sloppy land from landslides and disasters in the future.
It’s now exactly four years since the illegal shanties had surfaced on the hillock, only to be razed down on February 24, 2021 before the structures re-surfaced on the hospital property. It is hoped in health circles that the latest High Court directions to the municipalities and panchayat bodies will spur the authorities to reign in on illegalities and encroachments on government land and save the hillock from destruction.
For, complaint lodged by Hospicio Medical Superintendent, Dr Rajendra Borkar to the Margao Municipal Council close to a year and half ago has failed to evoke any action against the encroachments till date.
Consider this: Dr Borkar had on November 20, 2023 written a letter to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer, drawing his attention to the illegal huts set up on Hospicio property at Monte Hill-Pajifond.
In his letter, the Hospicio Medical Superintendent insisted that the huts erected on the hospital property near the Junta Quarters at Pajifond have returned back on the hillock.
Dr Borkar’s plea to the Margao Municipal Council in 2023 was simple “ conduct the site panchanama and initiate action to raze down the illegal structures standing on the hospital property as per the rules in force.
At the Margao Municipality, the request from the Hospicio Medical Superintendent was treated in true bureaucratic fashion. Concerned officials got back to the Hospicio hospital pointing out that the site needs to be inspected before reaching to the conclusion that the structures are legal or illegal. That’s not all. MMC officials further insisted that Hospicio needs to first demarcate the land in question to prove that the property/ hillock in question belongs to the Health Department.
Questions were also raised in the corridors of the Margao Municipal Council why the Health Department did not move the South Goa demolition squad to clear the encroachments, if any, on the Hospicio property at Pajifond.
Since then, the complaint lodged by the Hospicio Medical Superintendent stands literally buried under the official files in the civic body, with no action forthcoming till date.
When contacted, Dr Borkar informed that the MMC has not initiated any action on his complaint against the illegal structures till date. “I will again check up with the MMC on the fate of my letter dated November 20, 2023,” he added.
Post-landslide promises: Inaction on illegal constructions raises eyebrows
MARGAO: Post-landslide at Wayanard, Kerala last year, politicians of all hues had rushed to sound caution over unplanned development in the State to prevent landslides.
State Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate even assured that the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will issue an advisory to all planning and development authorities, besides the Town and Country Planning Department to strictly implement measures to prevent landslides and disasters.
Questions are raised why the authorities, including the revenue authorities have not initiated action against the structures despite complaint lodged by the Hospicio Medical Superintendent and Deputy Health Director, Dr Rajendra Borkar.
“Hope the latest High Court directions issued in the suo moto PIL on illegal constructions and encroachments spur the Margao Municipal and revenue authorities to initiate action and save the fragile hillock from destruction. Today, there may be few structures dotting on the hillock. A time will come when there may be a rush to erect structures on the hillock in the future,” remarked a MMC official in the know.
