MARGAO
Town and Country Planning (TCP) department’s decision to revoke the Technical Clearance for land development at Cacnamoddi may bring to an end a yearlong battle by Cuncolkars to save the picturesque hill from destruction.
What’s next, is a question doing the rounds in the Municipal area, three days after the Deputy Town Planner Sandip Surlekar directed the developer to stop the land development forthwith.
For, the Deputy Town Planner is silent on the restoration of the hilly and sloppy land to its original position, which has been allegedly illegally cut by the developer as per the TCP’s site verification.
A glance at the TCP order revoking the development permission reveals that the developer has cut the sloppy land for the development of 10 metre-wide internal sub-division road on the western side of the property for a stretch of 30 metres.
The TCP order is also clear in saying that illegal cutting is also noticed towards the northern side of the property, throwing up the moot question of whether the revocation order is the end of the story for the TCP or will the planning body take the inquiry to the logical conclusion by directing the developer to restore the sloppy land to its pristine glory?
When The Goan called up Senior Town Planner, Margao Ranjit Borkar to shed light on the restoration part of the Cacnamoddi land, which according to the TCP has been illegally cut by the developer, he had no answer to the query, saying the TCP has not taken any decision on the restoration of the sloppy land.
Borkar sought to pass the buck on the Cuncolim Municipal body on the question of initiating action in respect of restoration of the site to its original condition but had no answer whether the TCP has no powers under the Town and Country Planning Act to issue directions for restoration of the land.
Former bureaucrat-turned-politician, Elvis Gomes, a native of Cuncolim, said the TCP cannot escape its responsibility of issuing the necessary directions to the developer to restore the land. “The battle fought by the Cuncolkars has shown the way that hills cannot be tampered with for development and housing,” he said.
Elvis added: “The TCP order is silent on the restoration part. But, the TCP cannot escape its responsibility to get the hillock restored to its original position. Trees and vegetation should be planted on the hillock to stop the denudation. Since the sloppy area plays host to the aquifers, the restoration work ought to be done scientifically.”
He said the Cuncolim Municipal Council cannot escape its responsibility, saying the civic body should invoke the provisions of the Goa Municipalities Act to get the land restored.
Activist Avinash Tavares, who hails from Cuncolim, said the TCP order is silent on the restoration angle. He, however, said he isn’t surprised over the TCP order since the TCP is up to all such things under the present dispensation.
“Revocation of the Technical Clearance by the TCP has only justified and substantiated the claims made by the people opposing the land development. I only hope the TCP has given valid reasons in support of its order and has not kept any loophole for the developer to approach the courts,” Avinash said.
One of the complainants, Dr Jorson Fernandes said the battle launched by the Cuncolkars was two-fold. One, to stop the destruction of the hillock and second, to restore the land to its pristine glory.
“The TCP order has only revoked the Technical Clearance. It does not speak anything about the restoration of the sloppy land. If the sloppy land is left without any protective measures, the loose soil may be washed away during the monsoons,” he said, adding that the people will take appropriate steps to get the authorities to restore the hill.
Over one year later, protesters question Town Planner's stand
MARGAO
It was August 27, 2021, when the people of Cuncolim have been anxiously waiting for the joint inspection of the Cacnamoddi hillock.
For, they had pinned hopes on the joint inspection to drive home the point that the land development taking place at the Cacnamoddi hillock is being executed without legal sanction. To their utter shock and surprise, however, then Town Planner Ashok Kumar Chandra gave a new twist to the controversial land development, claiming the land in question does not qualify as a hill as per the TCP parameters.
The joint inspection had ended in an uproar after the locals, complainants including Dr Jorson Fernandes, Kabir Moraes and Vijai Prabhu, besides Avinash Tavares, took Ashok Kumar head on, asserting the picturesque hill has been existing for centuries, with rich flora and fauna, including water aquifers.
Nearly a year and a half down the lane, the people leading the protest not only feel justified in taking up the battle to protect the hillock from destruction, but they question the stand taken by the then Town Planner on the issue.
“We still do not know what was the reason for the then Town Planner to make a bold statement that the sloppy land does not qualify as a hill and the people had no reasons to oppose the land development,” informed former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes.
He added: “We have fond memories of the Cacnamodi hillock. During our childhood days, we used to spend our leisure time at the hillock. It plays host to aquifers which cannot be allowed to be destroyed.”
Dr Jorson Fernandes recalled how the then Town Planner left the site without rhyme or reason when the people had confronted him over the question of issuing the Technical Clearance. He recalled that the town planner was evasive when the people questioned him on the documents relied on to say the land in question is not a hillock.
