MARGAO
The organisation of All Goa Muslim Jamat Association on Wednesday petitioned to the Margao Municipal Chief Officer to file objections before the SGPDA to the draft-Margao ODP 2031 and retain the land at Sonsodo for kabrastan.
Led by Association General Secretary Urfan Mulla, the delegation impressed upon the MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes that since the land at Sonsodo was acquired for the purpose of kabrastan, the land zone should not be changed for a group housing scheme or set up a power sub-station.
Expressing shock that the land acquired for the kabrastan at Sonsodo for the Muslim community has now been shown as orchard and for the installation of a sub-station and to set up a low-cost housing society, Mulla said the Margao Municipality should undo the wrong committed in the Margao ODP 2028 by filing an objection to the draft-ODP 2031 and retain the Sonsodo land for the burial ground. “Grave injustice has been meted out to the Muslim community by overnight shifting the kabrastan from Sosnodo to Sirvodem and in Navelim. This has to be set right by the civic body by filing an objection to the draft-ODP so that the Sonsodo land is retained for the burial ground,” he added.
Mulla questioned the MMC Chief Officer whether the civic body has any power to acquire land in a village panchayat for a burial ground for a community staying in the jurisdiction of the Margao Municipality. When the Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes maintained that it is not feasible to acquire land by a municipal body in a panchayat area, Mulla said this itself is a ground for the civic body to file an objection before the SGPDA to retain the Sonsodo land for the proposed kabrastan.
Mulla said the delegation will also file an objection before the SGPDA and will call on the TCP Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to undo the wrong committed by the previous Margao Municipal Council.
