Mormugao Councillor Shraddha Amonkar while speaking to the affected residents of Tariwada on Monday morning.
THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO
The Mormugao Port Authority's (MPA) attempts to demolish structures in the Tariwada area of Mormugao constituency were thwarted once again due to political intervention.
Even in the absence of local MLA Sankalp Amonkar, his wife Shraddha Amonkar, who is a municipal councillor, stepped in to protect the homes of residents, who claim to have lived in the area for over 30 years.
On receiving news of an MPA team’s visit, Shraddha Amonkar rushed to the site and immediately contacted, Sankalp, who is in Maharashtra as part of BJP’s campaign.
Sankalp is reported to have quickly taken up the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, which resulted in the MPA halting its demolition plans.
“We got a call that some officials had come with a police team to inform them about the demolition. The sad part is that the house owners were not sent any notice, nor intimated about these plans. These people have been living here for 30 years now, and it seems that MPA is targeting this small area. The house owners have been living in fear of this demolition for a long time ever since the MPA claimed the area to be part of its jurisdiction,” said Shraddha Amonkar.
She questioned the urgency of the MPA's actions.
“This is a very small stretch, which the MPA claims as their jurisdiction, but people have shown that it is beyond MPA’s boundary marked by railings,” said Shraddha.
“Secondly, the MPA cannot undertake any development in such a small stretch of land, leaving us to wonder why they are in such a hurry to demolish these houses.”
“I was shocked when the MPA reached the site with full readiness without any intimation to the residents. While the people may need time to shift, we may also need some time to have them rehabilitated, in the worst case scenario. We hope to find a proper solution soon,” said Amonkar.
