PANAJI
A group of Santa Cruz villagers on Tuesday met the member-secretary Pradeep Sarmakodam of the Goa State Wetlands Authority at Saligao to pursue their demand for notification of the area around the Bondvoll lake as its zone of influence.
The villagers are demanding notification of the entire Bondvoll watershed as the zone of influence. They have also demanded the suspension and withdrawal of all technical clearances for projects granted around the notified wetland, as well as the suspension of additional FAR approved for any project there.
Over the last two weeks, activists and residents in St Cruz have raised questions over one specific project located at a height above the Bondvoll lake.
Earlier last week, local MLA Rudolf Fernandes had facilitated a meeting of locals with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who assured them of reviewing their concerns.
TCP Minister, Vishwajit Rane, had also joined the issue and announced after consultation with St Cruz Parish priest and citizens that the permissions would be reviewed, and days later, the deputy town planner issued an order holding the TC in abeyance.
