Members demand land restoration; raise alarm over IPB nod for academy and villas project
MARGAO
The issue over the inauguration of the cricket stadium in Loutolim village a month ago took the centre stage at the gram sabha of the Loutolim village panchayat on Sunday with members adopting a unanimous resolution demanding revocation of the construction licence and restoration of the land to its original condition.
The gram sabha also objected to the in-principle nod granted by the Investment Promotion Board to Ms Venture Building Dreams Pvt Ltd owned by promoters Kamlaprasad Yadav and Veer Kamlaprasad Yadav to set up a cricket academy and allied sports arena like hostel block, academy block, hotel block, villas, spectator gallery, pavilion, museum, clubhouse in the village.
The gram sabha meeting chaired by Sarpanch Rylon Fernandes on Sunday agitated gram sabha members led by Franky Monteiro questioning the construction of the cricket stadium when there exists no conversion sanad for the ground.
Monteiro demanded to know whether a housing or other project can come up without the owner or promoter producing the conversion sanad. He said the land being orchard and natural cover has been converted into a playground without the conversion sanad.
Agitated members questioned why the panchayat never inquired to find out what was going inside the area where the ground has come up. After much discussions, members adopted an unanimous resolution demanding that the panchayat immediately revoke the construction licence issued to the cricket ground. The members also demanded that the panchayat also call upon the promoters of the cricket ground to restore the land to its original condition and take steps to demolish the construction.
Gram sabha member Franky Monteiro also raised the issue of the in-principle permission granted by the Investment Promotion Board to Ms Venture Building Dreams Pvt Ltd to set up a cricket academy, besides villas saying the project will alter the demography of the village.
In another resolution, gram sabha members raised the issue of a civil suit filed by a group of persons in connection with the 35,000 sqm of land purchase in the year 1991 to set up low income group housing, besides place of worship and burial ground.
While expressing their apprehensions that the project will affect the demography of Loutolim village, gram sabha members urged the panchayat to file a petition in the High Court in connection with the civil suit dispute.
Members demand scrapping of new Borim bridge proposal
MARGAO: Gram sabha members, including Loutolim farmers demanded the scrapping of the new high-level Borim bridge proposed through the khazan fields.
They reiterated their charge that the new Borim bridge is being proposed for the sole purpose of transportation of coal from the Mormugao Port.
Gram sabha members Xavier Fernandes, president of the farmers group Alberto Pinheiro and others raised their objection to the new Borim bridge passing through the khazan fields. They said the bridge will not serve any purpose other than the purpose of transportation of coal from the MPA to the neighbouring states.
