MARGAO
Even as the storm kicked up by Town Planner Ashok Kumar’s remark that the Kaknamoddi hill is not a hill has refused to die down, Congress leader Yuri Alemao has said the administration has become a slave of politicians and is in executing their anti-environment, anti-Goan, patently illegal and corrupt agenda.
He feared that if the Town Planner had the audacity to say Kaknamoddi is not a hill, the authorities may say that Sal and Kushavati are not rivers at all.
Addressing the media in the presence of Vijai Prabhu and others, Yuri said gone are the days when the officials used to bend, but they not only crawl but prostrate before the ministers and their political masters.
“This is evident from the findings of the TCP officer while investigating genuine complaints against rampant hill cutting at Panzorconne Cuncolim, wherein he arrogantly rules that Kaknamoddi hill is not a hill at all,” he said.
Claiming that the hill is being razed at the behest of the local MLA, Clafacio Dias, he further said the Cuncolim Municipal Council Chief Officer is under tremendous political pressure and the plot developers are almost dictating to the Chief Officer, who is due for retirement in September 2021.
Yuri was critical of the role of the Cuncolim MLA who it looks has been directed to stay mum, and it now looks that the entire government machinery from TCP to Chief Officer is involved to clear all decks for the multi-crore real estate project at Kaknamoddi. “This matter should be taken up by the Vigilance department and the DMA needs to conduct the departmental inquiry for granting provisional NOC without any reference to the council,” he said.
To a question, Vijai Prabhu, who is one of the complainants, said the people of Cuncolim are exploring various options at their disposal to ensure that the hillock is restored to its pristine beauty. “We are all discussing to see how to go about the matter. Adopting a resolution at the Cuncolim Municipal Council meeting to revoke the permission is one of the options. But, we are discussing the issue threadbare and a plan of action will be unveiled to protect the hillock,” Prabhu added.
