the goan I network
MARGAO
Town and Country Planning (TCP) department’s 16-B Amendment triggered an uproar in the sleepy village of Sarzora with agitated villagers in one voice saying a firm ‘No’ to the conversion of low-lying land admeasuring 28,000 square metres at CBandh into settlement.
Villagers pointed out that the land in question is owned by a Delhi-based party and plans are afoot to develop the low-lying property into 76 plots.
A meeting called by Sarzora Sarpanch Sabita Mascarenhas also evoked support from social activists, including Abhijit Prabhudesai, Sidharth Karapurkar and Domnick Noronha, besides the Sarpanch Aquem-Baixo Siddesh Bhagat, who have all vowed to fight till the last to ensure that the CBandh land is retained as agricultural in the Regional Plan.
A copy of the resolution will be submitted to the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, local MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues, who is a member of the TCP Board calling for the scrapping of the settlement zone status conferred on the CBandh land.
MLA Filipe Neri was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting despite an invitation sent by the sarpanch, but Sabita told the media that a copy of the resolution will be submitted to the local MLA for appropriate action.
The resolution stated that TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, local MLA Filipe Neri and the village panchayats should take all necessary measures to ensure that the unplanned and disastrous change in zone proposed by the TCP is immediately stopped and the village protected for the future generation.
The resolution pointed out that the land in question has been acting as a natural drainage system and a water catchment area, which has over the years protected the village from floods. In case the land is converted for non-agricultural purpose, the land filling activity will turn catastrophic for the village as it will disturb the natural flow of water, affecting human habitation, the resolution added. The villagers have also told the panchayat to explore legal options to stop the conversion of the land into settlement.
Addressing the gathering, Sarpanch Sabita said the Delhi-based party had in the past tried to convert the land with strong arm tactics, but in vain. “The party had even employed bouncers to scare away the people, but the villagers had stood their ground to protect the environment,” she said, while urging the villagers to unitedly oppose the land conversion.
Former sarpanch Wilson also echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that he and the villagers had withstood the threats issued by the developer, saying that conversion of the 28,000 square metres of land will only trigger floods.
Abhijit Prabhudesai, Domnick Noronha and Aquem Baixo Sarpanch Siddesh Bhagat have all pledged their support to the Sarzora villagers in their battle against the land conversion.
