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OLD GOA
Condemning the statements of TCP minister Vijai Sardesai, the villagers of Chimbel demanded that the minister take back his words and also denotify the village from the greater Panaji PDA.
It may be recalled that Sardesai had sarcastically stated in the recently concluded assembly, “Is Chimbel heaven on earth? Is it Singapore? Everybody knows what it is.”
Speaking at the gram sabha on Sunday, Tukaram Kunkolkar condemned the statement of the minister against the village and demanded that the same should be expunged from the proceedings of the assembly.
On the statement that nobody approached him before opposing, Kunkolkar counter questioned whether the minister approached the people before including Chimbel in GPPDA.
Chimbel ZP member Sandeep Vernekar too condemned the statements of the minister against the village and stated that such type of language does not suit a person like him.
“Let the TCP minister attend a public meeting on the PDA issue and answer the people. We are even willing to come to his area for an open debate,” Vernekar challenged.
Outlining the reason for opposition to the PDA, Govind Shirodkar stated that PDA would allow builders to built skyscrapers.
“Today, under the TCP Act, only three floors are allowed but under the PDA, builders will be allowed to build as many floors as they want,” Shirodkar added while stating that it will bring in more population, which in turn would deprive the local population of resources like water, power, etc.
“Already, many of our areas are facing water and power problems,” he said while stating that PDA would result in conversion of eco-sensitive areas like lakes, forests, water bodies, etc.
“Today, we can openly question the panchayat authorities at the gram sabha. But, later the GPPDA areas would be included in the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and the people would have no say in its functioning,” Shirodkar forewarned while demanding that the sarpanch should resign as member of the GPPDA.
However, sarpanch Chandrakant Kunkolkar stood his ground that since he has not received any intimation of him being nominated as GPPDA member, there was no question of resigning.
It was only after the people repeatedly demanded that he should tender his resignation did the sarpanch agree to submit a letter of resignation.
The issue of IT Park was also discussed with the villagers raising apprehension that the government was trying to bulldoze its way on the
project.
The villagers highlighted that their opposition to the project still stands and the panchayat authorities should not try to show the government that some people are supporting the project.
Finally, a villager John Lobo stated that the panchayat should demand a white paper on the IT project.
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Old Goa panchayat to write to TCP seeking information
OLD GOA: The Se Old Goa panchayat has decided to write to the TCP department seeking to know which areas are included in the greater Panaji PDA (GPPDA) and only then take further action in the matter.
At the gram sabha on Sunday when the issue was raised, sarpanch Janita Madkaikar stated that the panchayat has not received any intimation from the TCP department regarding inclusion of Old Goa in GPPDA.
“We will write to the TCP department and ask for the survey numbers which are included in the GPPDA. After that, the same would be placed before the people at the gram sabha and appropriate decision would be taken,” Madkaikar informed The Goan.
The issue of waste plant at Bainguinim was also raised but the sarpanch Madkaikar said that since the government has not sent any proposal to the panchayat on the issue, there was no point in discussing the same.
The issue of illegal collection of parking fees was also not allowed to be discussed as the panchayat authorities informed that the same is sub-judice.
Development of ground at Katiebhat was also promised by power minister Pandurang Madkaikar who was present for the gram sabha. Other development works like hot-mixing of roads and laying of water pipeline in ward 8 was also proposed to be taken up.
Meanwhile, issues which were not put up for discussion at the gram sabha were not allowed to be raised due to the amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act which has disallowed the same.
Merces demands denotification of Morombi-O-Grande
OLD GOA: The PDA issue rocked the Merces gram sabha too as the villagers expressed fears that some areas of Merces are also included in the PDA.
At the Sunday gram sabha, the villagers highlighted that some survey numbers of revenue village Morombi-O-Grande finds mention in the notification.
Jose Carmin Joao pointed out that some survey numbers are shown in the PDA notification and demanded that if these survey numbers are included in the PDA, then the same should be denotified and also Merces village should never be included in the PDA, in the future.
Panch Prakash Naik, however, stated that Merces has not been included in the PDA because the panchayat has already taken a stand against the same. “However, we will find out whether any survey numbers of the village are included in the PDA and demand that the same should be excluded,” Naik assured.
The issue of mobile towers also figured with some villagers stating that the students are finding it difficult to source information in the absence of signal. In light of this, the villagers stated that mobile towers are needed and the same should be allowed to be installed.
However, other villagers stated that the mobile towers should not be installed in residential areas but in hilly areas or barren land away from habitation. “The towers should be installed only after all legal permissions are availed from concerned authorities, including the panchayat,” the villagers demanded.
The issue of open spaces also figured with the villagers pointing out that the same should be identified and shown on the village development plan. “The open spaces should then be used to set up recreational areas for children like park, gardens, etc,” said a villager Michael Dias.
With non-existence of a proper drainage system near the Alua Road, where the court premises are coming up, the villagers demanded that a scientifically prepared drainage system should be put in place so that there is no water logging in that area during the monsoons. If possible, the ancestral drainage system should be taken into consideration before planning the same, the villagers stated.
