VASCO
With barely a week left to comply with the High Court order, Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) has expressed its inability to identify the 194 houses at Khariwada-Vasco that had signed an MoU with Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
In its order dated January 7, the High Court stated that through an order dated March 11, 2015, the MMC was asked to file a status report in respect to these structures at Khariwada. The order dated March 11, 2015, stated further that no status report was been filed by MMC.
The counsel representing MMC has stated that the affidavit was ready, but has sought for more time till January 19 to make some modifications.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik said there was no mention of any demolition of houses at Khariwada in the court order.
“The council has been directed to submit a status report with regard to the 194 houses that had got into an agreement with MPT,” said Naik.
He, however, expressed MMC's inability to identify the 194 houses.
“The council is not aware of those 194 houses that need to be identified, as there are other structures that are constructed with a common wall. We even called our erstwhile junior engineer Augustin Misquita, who is presently working at Ponda Municipal Council, as he was involved in the marking of the houses. However, Misquita said it was not possible as the identification marks have now vanished,” informed Naik.
“According to information available with the council, the name of one occupant reflects in more than one house, and some occupants have tenanted their structures to others, due to which it is very difficult to identify the structures,” explained Naik.
“We have now written to department concerned at MPT, which was party to the MoU, and requested them to identify the 194 houses again and submit the report to the council,” added Naik.
“Once we get the report, we will be able to prepare the status report and submit it to the High Court,” he said.
When brought to his notice that MMC barely has a week left to comply with the High Court order, Naik said MMC on its part was trying to find out the 194 houses which had signed the MOU and hoped to submit the status report to the High Court in time.
