MAPUSA
In an effort to prevent any benefit of convenience to the accused Pooja Sharma and the complainant Agarwadekar family in the ongoing Assagao house demolition saga, a group of civil society members has filed a complaint with the Assagao panchayat.
The complaint objects to granting construction or repair permissions to either party involved. The complaint, addressed to the sarpanch and the secretary of Assagao village panchayat, is signed by local resident Desmond Alvares, RTI activist Kashinath Shetye and Krishna Pandit of Porvorim. The complaint is also addressed to Deputy Collector and Deputy Town Planner, Mapusa.
The complainants stated, “This is a complaint against Pooja Sharma for illegally partly demolishing the house and also objecting to granting any permission to Pradeep Agarwadekar and Prinsha Agarwadekar from carrying out construction of the house in property bearing Survey No 135/1-A of Assagao without obtaining any title/ownership, licence/permission/NOC, conversion sanad, and approved plans.”
The complaint specifically requests that no construction, repair, or renovation licenses be issued or renewed for Pooja Sharma, Pradeep Agarwadekar, or Prinsha Agarwadekar.
Additionally, it urges the authorities to disconnect electricity and water connections to the property and to recover all charges, taxes, fees, and penalties. The complainants also demand the demolition of any illegal constructions and the restoration of the land to its original state as soon as possible.
Alvares emphasised that the property does not belong to the Agarwadekars and stressed the importance of the complaint in ensuring no compromise is made. “The significance of this complaint is to ensure they do not compromise,” Alvares said.
RTI activist Shetye highlighted the need for the rule of law in resolving such disputes. “If cases are settled by use of bouncers and other means, then why do we require courts?” Shetye remarked. “The rule of law is supreme. We need to restore sanity in such cases,” he added.
The civil society group’s intervention aims to ensure a fair resolution to the property dispute and uphold legal procedures in the Assagao house demolition case.
