MARGAO
Occupants of Indira Apartments, Sirvodem on Saturday cried foul over the directions issued by the South Goa Collector and the Margao Municipal Chief Officer to demolish the building.
The Congress came in support of the occupants as the party slammed the BJP government for using government machinery and more specifically the Disaster Management laws to help real estate developers on one hand while pushing occupants of a building on the streets on the other hand.
An occupant of the building Viraj Amonkar stated that he and his co-occupants had invested their hard earned money in purchasing flats and shops in the building which was abandoned midway by the builder due to financial problems. “By spending additional amounts we completed our units on our own and the builder gave us possession letters to occupy our units which we have been occupying now since over 20 years, Amonkar said.
Addressing the media along with the occupants of Indira Apartments, at Sirvodem Margao, Congress Margao convenor Savio Coutinho charged that a demolition order was issued by the Chief Officer of Margao Municipal Council by invoking section 190 of the Goa Municipalities Act, in connivance with a developer; when the same Municipal Act provides an opportunity to the occupants to repair in the first place.
Coutinho alleged that the Chief Officer of MMC would never issue such an order in Margao without the consent of the political master. He said while the Chief Minister goes to town tom tomming about the Mhajo Flat scheme, the authorities are being pressurised to undertake urgent demolition of a building that is in a much better condition as compared to many other dilapidated buildings in Margao.
The occupants strongly criticised the Council for pushing them into forced court cases instead of being of any help, even as Coutinho assured the occupants to stand firmly with them in their struggle for justice.
