PERNEM
The drive to demolish structures allegedly violating CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) norms at the Temwada beach area of Morjim continued at full pace for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
During this operation, the administration demolished a structure owned by local resident Dilip Morje.
Officials, staff, and machinery from departments concerned arrived at the site early in the morning. Bulldozers, along with JCBs and other heavy machinery, were used to raze the entire club building. After a few hours of operations, the structure was completely levelled.
However, the demolition had to be paused briefly because ceiling fans, furniture, and other items were still inside the building. The process slowed down as time was required to safely remove these belongings.
Amidst light rainfall, the operation resumed, and the remaining structure was fully demolished. Police security was deployed at the site, ensuring that no untoward incidents occurred.
Meanwhile, Dilip Morje and his son, Dhruv, are in police custody after being arrested on charges of assaulting an advocate during a site inspection last week.
During the demolition drive, Dilip’s wife expressed her anguish and appealed to the government for justice.
Speaking to the media, she said, “This is our ancestral home, and it is legal. We have obtained all the necessary permits for this house. The government should save our ancestral home and grant us justice.”
She further stated, “If the government is determined to demolish the entire house, we will accept that too. However, we will then erect a hut on this very spot and live here. This is our ancestral land, and we will not abandon it.”
The demolition drive in Temwada area has sparked angry reactions in the area, with locals claiming that structures violating CRZ norms exist across many coastal areas of the State.
However, they alleged that only local ‘sons of the soil’ and members of the fishing community are being targeted during such enforcement drives.
Claiming that complaints regarding CRZ violations have also been filed against certain tourism projects and large resorts in Morjim area, locals sought to know what action has been taken regarding those complaints. “The law should be equal for everyone. Why is there one standard of justice for locals and another for influential individuals,” asked an angry local.
Locals claim that Dilip Morje had been granted a Sanad under the State government’s ‘Majhe Ghar’ scheme. They wanted to know if the house in question had indeed received the benefits of this scheme, why no reference was made to that official certificate or the scheme itself during the demolition proceedings.
