MAPUSA
In what appears to be the onset of a protracted legal battle, the proposed Material Recovery Facility (MRF) project in Aldona faces staunch opposition from a faction of residents hailing from Ramatolem.
Led by the Shri Ramtaleshwar Temple Committee, the group of residents engaged with Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate, imploring the rejection of an application put forth by the village panchayat of Aldona, which seeks authorisation for the use of comunidade land.
Accompanied by attorney Gurudas Velgekar, the delegation representing the local community presented their grievances to the Revenue Minister and the Collector of North Goa.
Velgekar, articulating their stance through a formal representation, levied allegations against the Comunidade of Boa Esperanca De Aldona.
He claimed that the Comunidade had unlawfully granted a parcel of land measuring 490.70 square meters to the panchayat for the establishment of the MRF shed, citing a contentious No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued on October 26, 2023.
Velgekar further contended that the NOC had been challenged by villagers before the Administrator of Comunidades of the North Zone, only to be summarily dismissed.
Subsequently, he disclosed, the temple committee took the matter to the Administrative Tribunal, where an order was issued, nullifying the NOC.
Explaining the crux of the contention surrounding the NOC for land grant, Velgekar elucidated that while the government retains authority to allocate Comunidade land through long-term leases for government or public projects, such prerogatives are limited to government entities or statutory bodies. He asserted that panchayats, as private entities, do not fall within this purview and thus cannot be beneficiaries of such allocations.
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has been monitoring the situation of setting up of MRF sheds in various panchayats in the State, including the Aldona panchayat.
Some panchayats that failed to identify land for the shed were also penalised by the court.
