MARGAO
Two days after the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was installed at Areal village in controversial circumstances, local Velim MLA Cruz Silva as well as panchayat members suspected a land scam behind the entire episode.
Ex-Areal Sarpanch and panch member Joyce Dias suspected land grab under the guise of installing Shivaji statue in the isolated part of the village. “In 2018, there was an attempt made to build a road through the field, but the same could not materialise since there was no demarcation. Now, they have tried to build a road by installing the statue in an inaccessible area to build road and access to the property,” Joyce said, while reminding that no development can be carried out without the permission of the local village panchayat.
The Velim MLA said there ought to be no illegal development in the hilly area in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. “It is apparent that they want to kill two birds with a single stone. By installing the statue, they want to undertake development of the property,” Silva asserted.
