MARGAO
Curtorkars along with the elected representatives will finally descend at the Leprosy hospital ground on Sunday to oppose the government plan to set up the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp in the village.
With the government bracing up to bulldoze with the IRB camp on the leprosy hospital land as evident by the land demarcation exercise carried out by officials earlier this week, the residents of Curtorim, irrespective of their political affiliations, are planning to unite under a banner to stop the government from going ahead with the IRB camp.
While the resolutions adopted by the Curtorim panchayat and the gram sabha, opposing the IRB project at the Leprosy hospital land, had no impact on the government since the time of former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, the citizens are expected to chalk out the future course of action how to go about opposing the project.
Curtorim Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues, who had given a call to the villagers to attend the Sunday meeting in large numbers, said the meet has been called by the residents to oppose the IRB project and to chalk out the future course of action. “The village panchayat has been completely kept in the dark over the project,” he said.
Local residents are apprehending that the government is planning something very big in the area belonging to the Leprosy hospital. Sources say the total area of the Leprosy hospital is more than three lakhs square meters and the area plays host to many Portuguese era structures such a temple, chapel, cemetery, besides other religious structures.
Locals pointed out that the hills of Leprosy hospital are also a habitat for many wild animals like wolves, foxes, boars, wild hen, peacocks, etc, different types of reptiles, lizards, snakes and other species. The area also has a big forest cover with different types of trees and bushes, including different types of medicinal plants. All this could vanish if the authorities are allowed to go ahead with their plan without the public being aware of what’s going to come in the area, locals feared.
An appeal has been made to the villagers of Curtorim, besides the neighbouring villages of Macazana and Guirdolim to attend the Sunday meeting cum discussion session, at 4 pm near the chapel inside the Leprosy hospital land.
Besides the Sarpanch and panchayat members, Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, Zilla Panchayat member, Michele Rebello, former ZP member Moreno Rebello are all expected to attend the meeting.
The Curtorim panchayat had in the past knocked the doors of the Health Department to earmark a small portion of the Leprosy hospital land for waste sorting and segregation, only to receive a reply from the Health officials that land admeasuring one lakh square meters has been handed over to the Home Department.
