MARGAO
Even as Fatorda MLA and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and his Margao counterpart Digambar Kamat have come out in favour of the proposed kabrastan at Sirvodem, the Navelim village panchayat body on Tuesday extended its support to the residents of neighbouring Sirvodem opposing the project adjacent the
river Sal.
Given that the significant portion of the 20,000 square meters of land proposed for the kabrastan falls in Navelim village, the Navelim panchayat has resolved to oppose it and has asked the residents of Sirvodem to submit a memorandum highlighting the danger that the filling of land will pose to the flood-prone area.
When the Navelim body meeting was underway at the panchayat ghar on Tuesday, a delegation of Sirvodem residents made their presence felt and submitted that the proposed kabrastan is coming up on land which falls not only in Margao, but in Navelim village as well.
After the meeting Navelim Sarpanch Wilma D’Silva told the media that the panchayat has decided to extend full support to the residents of neighbouring Sirvodem, saying that the panchayat had all along been kept in dark over the burial ground.
“Today, the residents of Sirvodem have drawn our attention to the kabrastan proposed on the border of Navelim and Margao at Sirvodem. We are opposed to the Kabrastan in our village,” she said.
The sarpanch pointed out that the proposal will be placed before the ensuing gram sabha for the information of the villagers and a stand adopted by the panchayat. “Today, the panchayat body has resolved to oppose the proposed kabrastan in Navelim and in Sirvodem,” the sarpanch added.
Navelim ward member Santarita Coelho pointed out that Survey No 203 falls in the jurisdiction of Navelim village, and wondered how the government can go ahead with the project without taking the Navelim panchayat into confidence. “There are already two masjids in Sirvodem and now they want to set up a kabrastan in a low-lying area,” the ward member said.
