MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council on Wednesday was forced to defer the proposal for regularisation of an ‘illegal’ residential house in the council meeting after several councillors felt uneasy about the method adopted to push the proposal through.
Senior councillor Prakash Bhivshet called the proposal “bogus” which would send several councillors home if voted in favour of the resolution.
He pointed out that there were several show-cause notices issued to the owner of the concerned house besides demolition notices.
He said there was an ongoing case against the structure before the chief officer which was conveniently not mentioned in the note moved among the councillors.
He further said that the owner may have got the NGPDA licence now but the planning authority has also imposed several conditions and wanted to know whether the owner has complied with those conditions.
Councillor Shashank Narvekar also expressed his reservation on pushing the proposal when a complaint against the “illegal” house was pending before the chief officer for adjudication.
“The party has applied for regularisation when a complaint against the structure is pending before the chief officer. Why did you not move a note stating that there is a proceeding against the structure before you?” Narvekar asked.
Chief Officer Chandrakant Shetkar said if the council takes a resolution to regularise then the proceedings before him will be dropped.
“There is a provision in the Municipality Act which allows the council to decide on regularisation of unauthorised houses,” Shetkar maintained.
Narvekar insisted that the chief officer should first dispose of the matter and then bring it before the council for regularisation.
“Let the owner fulfill all the prerequisites of the NGPDA and then bring it to the council,” he said.
Bhivshet informed that in the past at least two councillors were disqualified for voting in favour of such proposals and the present lot of councillors could meet the same fate.
Rattled with the revelations, the councillors urged the chairperson to defer the matter for next council meeting.
