the goan I network
VASCO
Sancoale Panch Tulshidas Naik on Wednesday accused Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha of being silent to the conversion of about 25,000 sq mtrs in his ward from settlement to a commercial zone.
Addressing a news conference, Ward 3 Panch Tulshidas Naik said he was shocked to realise that a plot in his ward was converted from S2 zone to C1 zone without his knowledge and blamed Saldanha as MLA and member of PDA for failing to inform the panchayat also about the conversion in zone.
“Earlier, construction files would come up to Panchayat and then after approvals, it would go to the Planning and Development Authorities (PDA). But now, files are passed in PDA and then come to Panchayat for further actions.”
“Ideally, the PDA should have a sarpanch on board, but no one from Sancoale Panchayat was present on the board, except for Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha who is a PDA member.”
Naik said the zone conversion issue had come to light after Saldanha had sent a complaint to the Panchayat that the compound wall of a small building built after PDA approvals was illegal and needed to be demolished.
“As Panch, we convened a site inspection, but Saldanha did not come. I then found out that she had made a letter to the PDA to have an inspection and accordingly, the PDA Member Secretary and engineers arrived at the site.”
“I then went to the PDA and I had a look at the entire ODP. When I looked at my area, I was shocked to realise that a one plot of 25,000 sq mtrs in settlement zone had been shown as C2 (commercial) zone. Is that why Saldanha wanted to demolish the compound wall of a small building?”
“In fact, a plot cannot be directly converted from a S2 to C2 zone. From S2, it has to become S3, then C3, C2 and finally C1. I don’t know how this plot was directly converted into C2 and why Saldanha had remained silent in the matter,” alleged Naik.
Questioning the Cortalim MLA over the nature of projects coming up in Cortalim constituency, Naik said, “Though several public projects in Cortalim Constituency like the Cortalim market complex, Kala Bhavan and other projects are yet to be made operational, there are many mega projects coming up during the tenure of Saldanha in the last six years.”
