PANAJI
Social Welfare Minister Pandurang Madkaikar assured to ‘pursue’ the matter and ensure rehabilitation of the two dhangar families which were demolished by the Water Resources Department for being illegal encroachments on their land.
Replying to a calling attention motion raised by Ponda MLA Ravi Naik, Madkaikar said that the demolition was undertaken by the WRD and that while they were temporarily put up by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in his own premises, a long-term solution would be worked out.
“The land where the two houses were demolished belonged to the Water Resources Department, meaning it belonged to the government. There were two houses there illegally and the department demolished the two because they were on its land. The social welfare department is concerned about the community and we are handling matters related to Other Backward Communities. We will speak to the WRD minister and see how we can rehabilitate them or we can… I have already spoken to the Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte. Through his department’s rehabilitation board too we can do something for these families. Both options are open,” Madkaikar said.
Naik sought the steps the government would take to rehabilitate the affected families.
Pitching in Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar sought to highlight how the government went about the demolition giving no time to the affected families to safeguard their belongings.
“While it is true that they were given a notice one year ago, nothing was done after that. During that period they even met the chief minister who had assured to look into the matter. They lived in the hope that something would work out, but to no avail. Suddenly one morning their houses were demolished,” Kavlekar said.
