Loutolim gram sabha presses for action on cricket stadium

MARGAO
Agitated gram sabha members of Loutolim village panchayat on Sunday demanded that the panchayat first comply with the resolutions adopted at the previous meeting on the cricket stadium before proceeding with the business agenda.

When the gram sabha chaired by Sarpanch Rylon Fernandes took up the matter of confirmation of minutes of the previous meeting, gram sabha member Franky Monteiro and others stopped the Chair from proceeding with the agenda, as they demanded to know whether the panchayat has complied with the previous gram sabha resolution to issue show cause notice to the cricket stadium and a housing project proposed in the village.

Monteiro demanded to know why the panchayat has not issued the show cause notice to the management of the cricket stadium when the same has been inaugurated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and that matches are being played at the stadium since then.

He further demanded to know why the panchayat has not acted on the gram sabha resolution taken at the previous meeting held in November last year. He feared that the delay by the panchayat body to issue the show cause notice for demolition of the stadium may cost the panchayat given that the Goa-Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board has issued a proclamation to notify the place as an industrial promotion area.

After much discussion, the panchayat was told by the gram sabha members to issue a seven-day notice for demolition of the stadium.

Monteiro later told the media that the cricket stadium has come up in the village allegedly in violation of the laws in force. He said the panchayat had issued the construction license, but a cricket stadium has come up at the site. Monteiro further informed that the project has come up without the mandatory conversion sanad.

Meanwhile, the gram sabha has expressed concern that a housing project is proposed in the village without complying with the housing norms. The members have urged the panchayat to challenge the decision of a Civil court before the High Court.