QUEPEM
Villagers of Tilamol under the banner of St Alex Citizens Forum held a protest on Sunday opposing a commercial building citing various irregularities which are overlooked by the Xeldem Panchayat and Town and Country Planning office, Quepem.
The members of the forum charged that the builder has claimed a private road as access to his project.
Speaking to Goan, James Fernandes said although the application submitted to Xeldem VP for construction was incomplete, it was sent to Deputy Town Planner for approval who issued the construction license without taking consideration
issues of garbage and sewerage system.
Subsequently, the contractor submitted revised plan for commercial-cum-residential building with 12 flats and 12 shops to TCP Quepem thereby violating point 3 of the earlier sanad issued for the project. Overlooking all these technical details, the Sarpanch and Secretary of Xeldem Panchayat issued construction licence to the project.
Fernandes said that a stop work order was issued based on the complaints of the villagers but the builder continued with the project. Subsequent complaints from the villagers were overlooked by the authorities, he added. Subsequently, the project was sold to another builder and although a case filed by the villager was pending before the Deputy Director of Panchayats at Margao the Xeldem panchayat approved the transfer of project without any scrutiny, he stated.
The villagers allege that the road shown to get the project licence is a private road of the villagers and nowhere on the survey plans or any other authority it can be proved that the land was acquired by the PWD to construct the road.
Minino Fernandes said that PWD has given in writing that neither any land has been acquired for construction of a road in that property nor the Xeldem panchayat has any records to prove that the road allegedly claimed to be public road by the builder was constructed by the Panchayat or PWD. Fernandes said that there is a 3.5 mtrs cart road shown on the survey plan which is behind the said commercial building.
Carmina Nogeira informed that Xeldem VP has claimed that it has constructed gutters passing through the said private property which incidentally comes in the jurisdiction of another village. Based on the submission a police complaint under Sec. 447 r/w 34 for trespassing into private property is lodged at Quepem PS against Sarpanch and panchayat secretary.
The villagers alleged that the Sarpanch, Secretary and DTP are hand-in-glove with the builder. On the other side they have given representation to the CM and Vijay Sardessai they will not allow any illegalities to take place.
Meanwhile the villagers stressed that they will take further course of action if authorities don’t take action.
