MAPUSA
Stressing that interest of locals was his prime concern, Ports Minister Michael Lobo agreed to scrap the urban status to Calangute village if people did not want it but maintained that the decision would benefit the locals.
“If people do not want the urban status then we will remove it. Anthony Menezes (ex-sarpanch and present panch member) called me up and said people are upset with the decision. Actually, in the long run people would benefit from it. But if people do not want the benefit we will remove it. I do not want to make politics on it,” Lobo said.
The urban tag to Calangute had led to a groundswell in the village with people gearing up to oppose the move.
Locals blamed the local MLA and the panchayat body for keeping the villagers in the dark on the move.
The Ports Minister said that Calangute village was declared urban in the 2011 census and it was only notified now.
He reiterated that urban status would not make Calangute a municipality nor would the house tax increase, but on the contrary locals would benefit.
He said the decision was taken in the interest of the people and not in his personal interest.
“There are cases being filed against each other in the village. Neighbours are filing cases against each other, brother against sister and son against father…All this will stop with this notification on urban status. People will understand in the next three or four months,” he said.
Reacting to former sarpanch Joseph Sequera’s charge, he said buildings and hotels had come up in Calangute much before he was elected as the MLA.
“At one time, Joseph Sequeira guided us. He took us around Calangute. We may have political differences…but I don’t want to disrespect him. We can discuss on what he spoke,” Lobo said, apparently referring to the allegations made by the former-sarpanch on Thursday.
