Divar Islanders may have stalled controversial Vanxim Island Project but controversies abound
A development projectcomprising a hotel, spa, luxury villas and a private marina on Vanxim island inDivar village may have come to a halt after the state government announced the freezingall the activities connected with the Regional plan 2021 but the past may comeback to haunt everyone.
Mahendra Gaunekar,representative of the Ozone Group that planned the project said “ The factswere quite contrary to the claims being made by some of those opposing theproject. Prior to the Church assigning ownership rights, most of the residentsof Capao had already assigned their rights to cultivate fields to a builderfrom Mapusa in 1995-96”.
The project has already faced alot of opposition from a section of the local islanders who had totally opposedthe upcoming project fearing destruction of houses and agricultural lands. At aspecial Gram Sabha of Sao Mathias Panchayat last year, 154 local residents hadvoted in favour of the proposal while 84 residents votes against it after theproposal was put for voting at the Gram Sabha. Those opposing it say that thegram sabha itself was held incontroversial circumstances.
The anti-project group accuse theChurch of selling Vanxim Island to a private party who then sold it tohospitality developers Ozone Group possibly for a king's ransom. They aretenants of the Church and on the face of it they seemed to have been sold tothe developer too. The developer has already said that he will build theirhouses in authentic Indo-Portuguese style, so that it fits with thearchitecture of the hotel. But the villagers aren’t convinced. “The developer hadhoodwinked us in the past when he got us all to answer a summons to theCollector's court. While we were away, he brought his team and advisors andthey toured the island”, accuses Margaret Silveira.
Margaret Silveira as Presidentof Ilhas de Vaxim Association formed a pressure group to tackle any issuesrelated to the promoters opposing. On the sidelines a pro-Vanxim project groupcalled Vanxim Capao Welfare Association has also been formed in support of theproject whose members believes thattheir members had come together with one vision of doing some developmentalactivities which were been stopped by another association for unwanted reasons.
Speaking to The Goan, Gaunekar said “I cannot talk about the issue since the RP 2021 is frozen and our work issuspended since it is shown in it“. Gaunekar stated that the project would notaffect the village houses since it would end 800 mts from the dwellings. Healso denied any golf course was coming up.
