MAPUSA
Noted Punjabi and Bollywood singer and rapper, Mika Singh is in the dock after the Anjuna panchayat on Friday inspected his ongoing villa construction along the beach at Anjuna which is allegedly being built without any permissions and in total violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.
Anjuna Sarpanch Savio Almeida had issued a notice to Singh on Wednesday to immediately stop the illegal construction and remain present for an inspection of the site on Friday.
Accordingly, the sarpanch along with the panchayat secretary and the complainants inspected the site.
“We have done the panchanama. The secretary has recorded all the illegalities carried out by the owner (Mika Singh). Since the construction is ongoing, we had issued a stop notice and as per the Panchayat Raj Act, he has to stop the construction. Also, it is very close to the sea,” Almeida said.
“After compiling the inspection report, we will place it before the monthly panchayat meeting and accordingly take a decision,” he added.
According to the complainant, Ravi Harmalkar, the construction was being carried out without obtaining a conversion sanad, even as the structure was coming up within a radius of two metres of the High Tide Line.
“The construction is 100 per cent illegal and is being carried out without obtaining necessary licence/permission from the local panchayat and other concerned authorities,” Harmalkar alleged.
He said the sarpanch of Anjuna is also the ward member where the alleged illegal construction of Mika Singh was coming up.
“When good things happen, the panchayat members are first to take credit. Similarly, when something wrong/bad happens they should act rather than wait for us (villagers) to complain. Because otherwise we get targeted,” Harmalkar opined.
He also urged the people of Calangute and Baga to raise their voices against illegalities happening on the beach belt.
Whether it is Mika Singh or anyone else, violators will be punished, says Vishwajit
MAPUSA:
Stating that those who violate laws will not be spared, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane said, whomever it may be, Mika Singh or anyone else action will be taken and violators punished.
“Are you happy with what is happening in Moira, Aldona, Assagoa or even Calangute? More than Goans there are people from outside coming and settling here. We don’t have an objection...But the way things are happening there…There has to be some sort of a cap,” Rane said.
He said there was no witch hunt here but it was the question of general tenanted land that was involved.
He denied that he was being selective in his decisions particularly because the ODP of Taleigao was not suspended despite allegations of landfilling vast tracts of fields in the village.
“It’s not selective. You may feel it is selective. If I don’t take action also you will feel the same thing. But be sure if anyone has done anything wrong, it will be corrected. Whether A, B or C was the chairman it does not matter to me,” he said.
“People have complained that because they were not ready to sell their land, roads were proposed through their land to force them to sell the land,” he added.
He said that forests, low-lying land and non-development slopes should be safeguarded and the government will do everything possible to protect them.
