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THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA: The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department had rejected permission to Saligao comunidade when it had first applied for permission stating that the land where the building was sought to be constructed was a tenanted low-lying agricultural land and it could not be developed.
“The comunidade had made an application for construction of a building but the permission was refused as the land record clearly shows that the area is tenanted low lying agricultural land,” a source in the TCP disclosed.
The source has also said the building, which has been constructed without any permission and licences, can be demolished under Section 52 and 53 of the TCP Act because it was illegal and unauthorized.
He said when it was brought to the attention of Saligao comunidade that the land was tenanted, they said that the comunidade would sign a MoU with the tenant.
“If the land is a low-lying paddy field and agricultural tenanted land, no one can construct on the land as per the Goa Land Use Act, 1991,” the source told The Goan.
He further informed that agricultural land which was tenanted cannot be shown as settlement zone.
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Nothing illegal, comunidade applied for licences: Saligao MLA
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THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA: Giving a clean chit to the Saligao Comunidade and backing the commercial project, Housing Minister and Saligao MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar said the construction was built in the settlement zone and the comunidade had applied for permissions.
“I am aware about the construction. The area where the project has come up is declared as a settlement zone in RP 2021. They have applied for licences. They are doing it within the frame of law,” Salgaonkar, whose party office is just 15 metres away from the project, said.
“It’s not that they have done any illegalities. The files are there before the TCP and various other departments and they will get permissions for it,” he said backing the comunidade to the hilt.
The minister took pains to explain that the comunidade construction was not in no-development zone or orchard land.
“Basically, it is a settlement zone,” he said.
The Goa Forward MLA from Saligao also mentioned that the work on the project began much before he was elected as the MLA.
The housing minister lamented that some vigilante groups prop up just before elections and raise issues of illegalities.
“Whatever is happening is good. This kind of things (vigilantism) should have happened long back to stop illegalities and agricultural land from being converted and filling of land,” Salgaonkar said.
Incidentally, Goa Forward Party President, Vijai Sardessai is the Town and Country Minister in the government.
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Illegal project has MLA’s blessing: Complainant
THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA: Does the recent Saligao comunidade meeting, which called for regularization of all illegal constructions of over six months old on Comunidade land, had the comunidade’s controversial commercial project in mind?
The complainant, who is a local, Euleterio Fernandes, said the comunidade meeting was a planned act to legalise the comunidade’s illegal commercial project, which had the blessing of the local MLA.
“The meeting which the Saligao Comunidade organised on Wednesday was only in the intention to regularize its illegal commercial project which has the backing of the Saligao MLA,” Fernandes alleged.
Incidentally, the meeting called by the Saligao communidade President Austin Da Gama to discuss illegal structures on comunidade land was also attended by Housing Minister and Saligao MLA, Jayesh Salgaonkar and Saligao Sarpanch Lafira Gomes.
At the meeting, the Saligao MLA had dismissed rumours that he was encouraging illegal constructions in the village.
He, however, appealed to the comunidade to look into the possibility of offering small piece of land to needy people of Saligao to construct houses.
