CORTALIM
Sancoale Gram Sabha on Sunday criticised the South Forest Committee's survey to identify the village as a private forest. The members maintained that the village did not qualify for the criteria and demanded it be left alone.
Sarpanch Ramakant Borkar castigated the South Forest Committee for its alleged high handedness while conducting the survey. “The forest committee officials simply enter people’s property without informing them. In the first place, there is no forest so why the private forest zoning. We have airport, industrial estate, chemical factory and other major factories and institutes. There is no forest land,” Borkar asserted.
“Whatever little is left the government wants to deny landowners their legitimate right of land use,” Borkar said, even as he congratulated Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar for being considerate to people’s demand.
Borkar, however, said the zoning as per the ODP has to be maintained and the green belt be left untouched.
The villagers agreed with Borkar for a public meeting with forest officials in the village.
The Gram Sabha also demanded that the village be reverted back to PDA for higher FAR.
While the revision will be more beneficial to builders, Borkar said under ODP more FAR will be allowed. This, he said, will benefit several families.
The sarpanch also agreed to the request to make the Vidhyanagar area in Dabolim mobile tower-free zone.
