MARGAO
Residents of Virabhat once again scuttled plans by a telecom company to install mobile tower at the government primary school premises with police protection, even as Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco and his challenger, Congress leader Moreno Rebello sparred in full public view on the issue.
While the Independent MLA told Moreno not to indulge in politics, the Congress leader shot back at Reginaldo, questioning why the MLA and the Curtorim village Sarpanch Caetano Hilario have still not replied back to the letter addressed to the duo in November last year.
Heated exchanges ensued between the duo in full public view as they traded charges and counter charges at each other. Moreno insisted he has not done politics over the matter, saying he has rallied behind the agitating residents every time they have called him to stop the mobile tower construction.
Moreno demanded to know the whereabouts of the district telecom panel set up to address grievances of the people on mobile towers, when he and Curtorim ZP member Michele Rebello had been frantically trying to contact the panel to take up the Virabhat mobile tower issue. “We have only sought to know from the MLA what action he has taken to stop the work on the tower since the residents addressed a letter to him in November last year,” Moreno added.
Reginaldo pointed out that he too has objected to the mobile tower at the GPS premises, but pointed out that the authorities seemed hell bent in installing the tower at the same location. He told the people not to put the onus on him to stop the mobile construction, but has promised to join the residents to the district telecom panel to object to the present location.
A local resident Anthony Piexote told the media that the telecom company and the authorities have been trying to bulldoze with the mobile tower. The mobile tower location is not even 20 metres from the school and the residential houses. We had stopped the work since last year, but the company is bulldozing its way with the tower with police protection,” he said.
Reginaldo said a suggestion has been made to set up the tower at an alternate place, but there is opposition there too for the tower. “The tower has to come up somewhere since people need the mobile network,” he said.
The MLA said he would seek seven-day time to take up the matter with the district telecom panel to redress the grievances of Virabhat residents.
