Newspaper reports indicate that the High Court of Bombay at Goa has told the Village Panchayats not to issue fresh licences for construction licences until they comply with the earlier court directions regarding garbage disposal.
Would the Village Panchayats comply with the directions of the High Court of Bombay at Goa? That's to be seen. The Builders-Politician-Government Machinery nexus is too strong and it's obvious that they will do everything possible to destroy Goa and do everything possible to have their way even going against the High Court. The Government of Goa would of course have it's own tricks up it's sleeves to bypass the High Court's mandate. We've seen how the MLA of Cortalim Constituency Mauvin Godinho at the recent Assembly Session was asking for 100,000 square metres of precious Goan land in his Constituency to set up a garbage disposal unit for just 6 villages! He is working overtime to make sure that the real estate lobby is protected at any cost and is known to issue threats to poor villagers not to oppose the development that his builder friends have planned for Goa. The ads in the newspapers that the Real Estate Lobby put out to wish him for his Birthday was enough evidence where they all have their undying love pouring out in public and why. Not to be missed was the one page write-up by his cousin Agnelo Alcacoas from Queeny Realty Estate along with photographs of the Minister’s family including his wife and children. Interestingly that one page ad was paid by the Contractor who was awarded the contract of constructing Kala Bhavan at Sancoale! If I was Maria Divina the Minister’s wife or one of his children I would be ashamed to be openly flaunted and feted in the newspapers and public forum by the Builders in order to seek the favours of the Minister. The following is the latest update from the Times of India. *************************************************************** HC tells VPs not to issue fresh licences for construction TNN, Aug 12, 2010, 05.19am IST PANAJI: The high court of Bombay<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=high%20court%20of%20Bombay>at Goa on Wednesday directed several village panchayats<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=village%20panchayats>(VPs) in the state not to issue further construction licences until they comply with the earlier court directions regarding garbage disposal. The high court had on March 10 directed the Goa State Pollution Control<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Pollution%20Control>Board (GSPCB) to conduct inspections for verifying whether the VPs had established functioning composting<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=composting>units. The court had passed the directions in a suo motu petition relating to streamlining the garbage disposal system in the state. The GSPCB had on April 7 filed a detailed inspection report before the court pertaining to the inspection of garbage composting units of 12 village panchayats in the state. The officials of the GSPCB conducted inspections of the units set up by Calangute, Betalbatim, Majorda-Utorda-Calata, Cavelossim, Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim, Chicalim, Chicolna, Sancoale, Arambol, Morjim, Paliem and Mandrem village panchayats. The inspection report filed by the GSPCB had pointed out progress by some of the VPs in the collection and disposal of garbage, while some had not complied with the court's earlier orders with regards to recycling plastic waste.