PERNEM
Locals in Mandrem have criticised the decision of Mandrem panchayat to permit luxury villas in the coastal village.
Amid allegations that a resolution was passed at the panchayat meeting on April 17 to grant permissions to construct 90 villas, Sarpanch Rajesh Mandrekar clarified that only 18 villas has received approvals during his tenure, while 38 villages had been granted permission months ago.
On Saturday, a group of locals along with advocate Prasad Shahapurkar met Mandrekar and submitted a memorandum, demanding that the panchayat withdraws permission granted to the villas.
They claimed that the locals should first have been taken into confidence in the Gram Sabha before granting permissions to mega projects in Mandrem.
Advocate Prasad Shahapurkar told reporters that locals had met on Friday to discuss and denounce the permissions granted for the luxury villas by the Mandrem panchayat, even though the Mandrem Gram sabha had resolved that no such mega projects should be allowed in the village.
“In order to protect the interests of the village, such projects should not be allowed. The permissions which have been granted should be revoked,” said Adv. Shahapurkar.
Later speaking to reporters, Mandrem Sarpanch Rajesh Mandrekar informed that after the TCP department received approvals from other government departments for these 18 villas, they submitted the file to the Mandrem Panchayat.
“This file was lying with the Panchayat for 20 days. Had we not granted the permission within 30 days, the permission would have been deemed granted, During my tenure as sarpanch, the panchayat has granted permission to only 18 villas and not 90 villas,” said Mandrekar.
“Permission has been given to construct some flats. When I was not the sarpanch, permission had been granted to 38 villas,” he added.
