Houses illegally built in forest zone at Salvador do Mundo

the goan I network
PORVORIM
Houses have been illegally constructed in forest zone at Salvador do Mundo and the panchayat has claimed helplessness in the matter, claiming that house owners have obtained a stay from the Directorate of Panchayats on show-cause notices issued by the panchayat.  
The sarpanch has now blamed the locals for selling their forest land, which has led to construction activity in the forest zone.  
Salvador do Mundo sarpanch Sandeep Salgaonkar conducted a site inspection of the forest zone on Thursday, following a memorandum from the Mapusa BDO dated July 31. Salgaonkar was accompanied by panchayat secretary and Ward Panch Babu Naik.  
A group of locals and media persons accompanying the inspection team were surprised to find houses constructed in forest area without panchayat permission. Electricity poles had also been erected at the site.  
Later speaking to media persons, Salgaonkar said that only eight houses have been built in forest area and not 40 as claimed by complainant John Menezes.  “The panchayat has not issued permission to these houses and had issued show-cause notices to all 8 house owners in July 2016.  The house owners, in turn, approached the Directorate of Panchayats and obtained a stay on the show-cause notices issued by the panchayat,” said the   Salvador do Mundo sarpanch.
Salgaonkar claimed that since the matter is sub-judice since 2016, the panchayat could not take action in the matter.  
“Locals have sold their property despite knowing well that this is orchard land and no construction can be made on the land. If people are so conscious of the environment, they should not have sold their land. This issue had come up in previous gram sabhas and I had requested villagers not to sell their forest land, but in vain. When construction activities come up in the forest area, locals then blame the panchayat,” said Salgaonkar.