the goan I network
MARGAO
Even as the rubble and mud lay untouched at the site in question atop Monte for the fourth day on Monday, the SGPDA told the police that no permission has been obtained for filling of mud, while terming the activity as illegal. In fact, PDA official Prakash Naik, in his complaint, requested the police to stop the land filling immediately and to direct the party to remove the dumped mud from the property and restore the land to its original form.
Naik has also requested the police to act against the offender under section 17-A of the TCP Act after verifying the details of the property in which the unauthorised filling of low lying land has been undertaken. That the SGPDA has confirmed the land filling activity illegal is evident by the fact that Naik in his report has said that around an area of six mts x 20 mts and six mts x 14 mts along the 10 meter-wide road of depth of one-two meters has been filled up by the unknown party. “Land filling requires prior permission of the Chief Town Planner under section 17-A of the TCP Act and that the violation of the provision of the Act is a cognizable offence,” he added.
Incidentally, the SGPDA has not named the builder responsible for the act of filling up the orchard land in question illegally and without prior permission, leaving the task of naming the unscrupulous builder to the men-in-uniform.
Meanwhile, reports did the rounds in city circles that the builder has approached an elected representative and has promised to remove the debris from the spot. Till date, however, the debris has remained where it is with no sign of the builder deploying his men and machines to get the site cleared of the debris.
