OLD GOA
Even as the special gram sabha of St Estevam could not be held and with the work on the Cumbarjua to St Estevam bridge going on in full swing, the locals took the help of the Old Goa police to stop the same.
The locals led by Mariano Ferrao and others gathered at the Old Goa police station and lodged a complaint citing that the contractor had violated the stop work order issued by the St Estevam panchayat.
Later, the Old Goa police personnel went to the site and asked the contractor to stop the work undertaken on the St Estevam side till the panchayat does not issue license for the same.
Old Goa police sources informed that the contractor has now been asked to produce documents pertaining to the bridge work.
Meanwhile, a reliable source inside the St Estevam panchayat informed The Goan that the gram sabha was postponed after taking advice from the higher authorities, when the code of conduct came into force on Saturday.
“As the code of conduct came into force, the panchayat approached the higher authorities who advised postponing the gram sabha till they get a green signal from the Directorate of Panchayats (DoP),” the source stated.
“The panchayat will now approach the DoP and only after its approval the gram sabha will be held,” the source informed and added that the panchayat has already issued stop work order to the contractor with a copy to the Old Goa police.
