MARGAO
Salcete erupted again on Monday over multi-dwelling housing projects in Curtorim and Navelim, with villagers taking to the streets to demand that the projects be scrapped. While residents of Maina in Curtorim have intensified their opposition to the proposed housing project in the village, residents of Ratwaddo in Navelim once again descended on the project site, accompanied by a private surveyor, to measure the road. At Curtorim, the local residents not only demanded the immediate removal of the GI sheet fencing surrounding the site but also the complete scrapping of the project. A group of residents, accompanied by local Parish Priest Fr Dominick Savio Vaz and Congress leader Moreno Rebello, assembled at the project site on Monday morning and reiterated their demand for the fencing to be dismantled and the project abandoned. Fr Vaz said the project would create serious traffic problems in the area and could turn the stretch into an accident-prone zone. He also warned that the development could worsen problems related to garbage and litter in the locality. “I may not be in the Church in the future, but I can say that Maina will go the Kargil way with garbage and litter everywhere,” Fr Vaz said. He blamed the local panchayat for failing to safeguard the interests of the village. “The panchayat has faltered in protecting the interests of the village and is still faltering,” he said.
Fr Vaz demanded that the builder immediately remove the GI sheet fencing, particularly in view of the Handi Khuris feast scheduled to be celebrated in the village on August 20. “The village is celebrating the Handi Khuris feast on August 20. The fencing sheets are posing a big obstruction to traffic. The local farmers are on the job of organising the celebrations, but traffic will be a problem,” he said. He further asserted that the panchayat had the authority to order the removal of the fencing and called upon the local body to act immediately. Warning that the agitation could intensify, Fr Vaz said the people of Maina would move to scrap the project if the panchayat failed to intervene. Rebello said Monday’s gathering followed a suggestion by the village Sarpanch that the height of the fencing sheets be reduced. However, he maintained that reducing the height of the fencing would not address the larger concerns raised by the residents.
Blaming the panchayat for forcing residents to take to the streets for the past four months, Rebello alleged that the project had been proposed against the wishes of the local population and with 100 per cent Floor Area Ratio (FAR). “This project has been proposed against the wishes of the local populace with 100 per cent FAR,” Rebello said, alleging that the panchayat had failed to address the concerns of the residents despite the prolonged agitation. He warned that the residents could escalate their protest if the panchayat refused to reconsider its position. “If the panchayat is not willing to scrap the project, the people will not allow the functioning of the panchayat,” Rebello warned.
