the goan I network
PANAJI
Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai on Monday announced that the same five-member committee that was constituted to operationalize the Regional Plan 2021 will probe into the allegations made at the Lohia Maidan meeting on April 27 as well as other allegations against illegal conversion of land by institutions especially the Church.
“The same inquiry committee that will actually operationalise the Regional Plan 2021… will inquire into all these conversions. (I’ve asked them to) give me a report within one month. I request Goencho Avaz, their leadership, to approach this committee… I invite them. They should come and give it all,” Sardesai said.
“Others who are making allegations, against the church or against anybody else, they too should come and give them (the evidence they have). Let us examine the issue [and] within one month we will take a call. We can go to any length to take a call on the whole regional plan,” Sardesai said.
He said he felt that the entire anti-PDA and anti-Regional Plan agitation was a “campaign to mislead and misguide.”
“A five-member committee will submit its report by 1/06/18. Make no mistake, I will act. Goencho Avaz & others invited!” Sardesai later tweeted.
The Town and Country Planning Department had constituted a five members with Rajesh Naik the Chief Town Planner (Planning) as the convener and other members Venancio Fernandes the Head of the Architectural Engineering Department of the Government Polytechnic, Panaji, Ernesto Moniz of the IEI and Manguesh Prabhugaonkar a member of Indian Institute of Architects and Paresh Gaitonde a member of the Institute of Engineers and Valuers.
The Council for Social Justice and Peace has refused to comment on the suggestions that some of the properties of the church which are also alleged to be illegally converted would be probed.
“We do not want to comment anything right now,” Fr Maverick Fernandes told The Goan.
