--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa
http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vigilance dept to probe irregularities in approvals to Anjuna ‘farm houses’ HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, April 5 Acting on the representation made by Anjuna Rakhon Manch alleging irregularities on allotment/sub-division of land and approvals granted for ‘farm houses’ in Anjuna, the Vigilance Department has initiated an inquiry into the matter. That an inquiry has been initiated has been confirmed by Director of Vigilance Arun Desai. A week ago, villagers from Anjuna under the banner of the Manch had marched into the capital city demanding inquiry into the land issue. Copies of representations were submitted to the District Collector, Forest department, directorate of panchayats and Vigilance department. The vigilance department is learnt to have asked for a report from the local village panchayat and Town & Country Planning department. The villagers had complained that a housing cooperative society had obtained licence for farm houses but in reality plans show that they are bungalows, numbering around 40 on a scenic site. The total area mentioned in the memorandum was around 2.8 lakh sq mt. In the representation submitted to the North Goa Collector, they pointed out that the area where the construction has been allowed had been marked as No Development Zone in the draft Regional Plan 2021. At the gram sabha held on March 5, 2009, the same property being a hillock had been stated as NDZ and reserved area but the village panchayat passed plans and issued permission on 9-6-2009, 12-08-2009 and 18-8-2009 which was in total violation of recommendation of RP 2021 which the panchayat itself had forwarded to the government. The property in question comprises a hill having steep slope on three sides, the representation said adding that towards the south is the hill of Baga-Arpora which many a politicos are eying. The property had no motorable road until recently when a 10-metre road has been made when roads in the tourists’ interest do not even have 5-metre roads. Another issue raised by them was that the land in question was tenanted land. Sources said that vigilance department is likely to go into the aspect of transfer of land and how the mutation was carried out. http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Vigilance-dept-to-probe-irregularities-in-approvals-to-Anjuna-lsquo-farm-houses-rsquo/35496.html Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna, Goa Mob: 9420979201 _________________________________________________________________ Catch the latest in the world of fashion http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/