Members also raise alarm over migrant labour at jetty
A member of the Cavelossim gram sabha making a point at the meeting held on Sunday.
MARGAO
Permission issued by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority to cricketer Ashish Nehra to erect temporary cottages at Mobor dominated the gram sabha meeting of the Cavelossim village panchayat on Sunday.
At the meeting chaired by Sarpanch Dixon Vaz, agitated members demanded an explanation from the Chair on how the cricketer had been granted permission to erect the temporary cottages at Mobor.
Sarpanch Dixon explained that the panchayat had not given any permission to Nehra to erect the structures, categorically stating that the permission to erect the cottages had been granted by the GCZMA.
Clarifying that the panchayat had not given any permission, the Sarpanch further told the agitated members that the panchayat would hold an inspection and a report of the inspection would be placed at the panchayat meeting before taking any decision.
The Sarpanch later told the media that the panchayat had written to the GCZMA on the issue of permission granted to Nehra to set up the temporary cottages at Mobor. “We have asked the GCZMA to shed light on the permissions and also the old case pertaining to the construction of a road,” he said.
Saying that the area in question is eco-sensitive and not connected by a motorable road, the Sarpanch said the panchayat would take all these aspects into consideration during the proposed site inspection in the presence of the complainant.
The property owned by Ashish Nehra had triggered uproar in Cavelossim over a year ago after a road was constructed without obtaining any permission from the panchayat body. The property in question again came into focus after questions were raised by Sarpanch Dixon Vaz and others as to how the government had placed sandbags only around the property owned by Nehra to prevent soil erosion.
Meanwhile, the gram sabha also discussed the contentious issue of migrant labourers employed at a jetty in Cavelossim. After the issue was raised by Roy Barretto regarding the jetty operating in the village, the Sarpanch assured that the panchayat would write to the concerned authorities to find out whether the jetty was operating with the requisite permissions.
The Sarpanch told the media that a boat owner, with a fleet of around 18 fishing vessels, was operating from the village. Claiming that over a thousand migrant workers were employed on these vessels, Dixon said the panchayat would initiate action to find out whether these workers were screened by the health teams and provided with sanitation amenities.
The Sarpanch thanked Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for bringing in the new bill under the Mahje Ghar Yojana, under which the new Goa Regularisation of Unauthorised Construction Amendment Bill 2025 would now include CRZ homes built before 19 February 1991, benefiting the local fishing community and their houses.
