MARGAO
The Rumdamol Village Panchayat on Wednesday razed down a residential house built on comunidade land with police protection.
While the house owner Nazareth cried foul over the demolition, claiming he was not served a notice before the demolition, Rumdamol Sarpanch Vinayak Volvoikar contended that the demolition had been carried out as per the laid down guidelines.
Heavy machinery was deployed by the demolition squad to raze down the residential house even as Barretto bitterly protested over the exercise, terming it blatantly illegal. “I will claim compensation from the Panchayat to make good the losses suffered by me,” he said, adding that he will drag the Panchayat to the Court for what he termed as the illegal demolition.
Sarpanch Volvoikar, however, asserted that the demolition had been carried out as per the rules in force. “The owner was granted six month time to apply for regularization with the documents, but the regularization did not take place. Since the decks were cleared for the demolition of the house, the Panchayat was left with no option than to raze down the structure,” Volvoikar added.
When the media drew attention of the sarpanch to the host of illegal structures in the Housing Board area, Volvoikar said the panchayat had recently undertaken a drive to remove the encroachments from the road side, adding that the panchayat would soon resume the drive.
