MAPUSA
Ports Minister Michael Lobo on Tuesday disclosed that some influential persons from Delhi want to pull strings with the Delhi-based officers employed in the State and expect to get their work done with the help of these officers.
He said the government did not encourage such behaviour and will never back such persons. “Some people who come from Delhi think that since they have contacts with officers from Delhi posted here they could use their clout for their advantage. Nothing of this sort will be allowed. There is no political backing for anyone,” Lobo said, while condemning the vandalisation of the Souza Lobo restaurant in Calangute.
The Ports Minister, who is also the MLA of Calangute, was reacting to the incident where the restaurant of Souza Lobo was damaged by some miscreants early Sunday morning.
Lobo said that a Delhiite who has purchased a property adjacent to the Souza Lobo restaurant wants to construct a structure in the area which comes under no development zone (NDZ).
“The Calangute panchayat and the NGPDA will not allow reconstruction plans of the Delhi owner. We will see that the panchayat will not give them permission. Even if the permission was issued earlier, we will revoke it as no structure can come up in the NDZ,” he said.
He further said that a lot of hotels have come up in Calangute which belong to non-Goans.
“Anyone can build hotels in the coastal State but they have to cooperate with the locals. Locals are first. We don’t want tourism where locals are harassed,” he said.
According to the Ports Minister, there was a traditional access leading to the Souza Lobo restaurant which no one can block.
He said the traditional access is never shown on survey plans but it has to be defined by the panchayat, mamlatdar or the deputy collector.
“We will follow the due process of law. The Calangute panchayat, locals and the MLA will stand by the owner of Souza Lobo restaurant, which was established in 1932 and is the oldest restaurant in that area,” Lobo said.
He said the destruction carried out at the restaurant and the assault of the staff was illegal and criminal which will be taken to the logical end.
