Rights group GOACAN has urged the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) to act against an alleged encroachment on a pedestrian footpath and public parking area near the Panaji Ferry Wharf, even as the civic body prepares to hold a council meeting on Wednesday after skipping four consecutive monthly meetings.
In a letter to CCP Commissioner Klen Madeira, GOACAN claimed that a sizeable encroachment has come up along the Mandovi riverfront at the entrance to a property leased to a private entity by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
According to GOACAN, enquiries with taxi drivers operating in the area revealed that the encroachment had existed for more than a fortnight.
The organisation said the structure has occupied a pedestrian footpath and public parking space close to establishments operating under signboards such as "Riverview Lawns", "Coconut Grove" and "Shree Khodiyar Kathiyawadi Dhaba".
GOACAN coordinator Roland Martins termed the encroachment a threat to road safety and traffic management.
The NGO argued that commercial activity and tourism promotion cannot come at the cost of pedestrians, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. It also referred to Supreme Court directives on protecting pedestrian rights and removing encroachments from public spaces.
GOACAN pointed out that the issue of safeguarding footpaths and enforcing anti-encroachment measures was discussed at the CCP's Road Safety and Traffic Management Committee meeting held on September 25.
The complaint comes as the CCP faces criticism for failing to hold its statutorily mandated monthly council meetings for the last four months, with councillors expected to meet on Wednesday after the prolonged gap.
