the goan I network
PANAJI
Villagers of St Cruz and surrounding villages who are opposing the inclusion of their villages in the Greater Panaji PDA have hit back at Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai for his utterances on the issue claiming that Sardesai is seeking to mislead the people through incorrect statements in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Addressing the press conference, among the activists, Rama Kankonkar of Cacra questioned Sardesai for calling them the ‘mob’.
“We wish to remind the Town and Country Planning Minister that we are not the mob. We are the ‘Goenkars’ who you claim to fight for. We are fighting to protect our villages from high rise buildings,” Kankonkar told the press.
On Thursday in the Assembly, Sardesai while responding to St Cruz MLA Antonio ‘Tony’ Fernandes plea to denotify St Cruz from the Greater Panaji PDA while claiming that earlier he was in support of the PDA but now had changed his stance, Sardesai asked him not to be led by the mobs.
“You cannot be led by mobs. You cannot change … consistency is the hallmark of good governance. We cannot change on the whims and fancies of people who develop cold feet,” Sardesai had said during the zero hour on Thursday.
Vijai had also claimed that he had not received any representation from those opposing the PDA and that the PDA was taken up through a ‘consensus’.
However, sarpanch of St Cruz Mariano de Araujo categorically denied that TCP Minister was not informed about the decision.
“The St Cruz gram sabha had passed a resolution against the inclusion of the village in the PDA and this was communicated to the office of the Minister as well as Department as early as January 17,” Araujo said brandishing the letters that were given with the entry stamp of both the department as well as the minister’s office.
Araujo also refuted the statements that the village panchayat had renewed the licence of one Jai Raghuvir for ten villas ten days prior.
