THE GREEN WAR IS IN FULL SPRING NGOs take on Saligao panchayat at Salmona
While the Saligao panchayat members said the construction licence had been issued after completion of requisite formalities, sources from the Saligao Paryavaran Manch pointed out that the panchayat itself had in a letter dated 19 March 2005 asked Arjun Harmalkar, who is carrying out the construction near the spring, to stop it
OUR STAFF REPORTER GT APRIL 29, 2005
PANAJI: A rift between the Saligao panchayat and a section of the villagers opposed to any construction near the Salmona spring has come to the fore with the grassroot leaders claiming that the construction was legal, while the NGO stated that the tourism department had asked the panchayat to stop any activity in view of land acquisition proceedings.
While the Saligao panchayat said the construction licence had been issued after completion of requisite formalities, sources from the Saligao Paryavaran Manch pointed out that the panchayat itself had, in a letter dated 19 March 2005, asked Arjun Harmalkar, who is carrying out a construction near the spring, to stop it.
Earlier, in July 2004, the panchayat had urged the Deputy Collector to revoke the conversion sanad issued to Harmalkar.
Our Mapusa representative adds: The Saligao panchayat has refuted allegations levelled against it by some NGOs in connection with the construction by one Arjun Harmalkar near the Salmona spring, as baseless.
No illegalities have been committed, while issuing the licence, member Roland D'Souzasaid at a press conference in the presence of sarpanch Mary Fernandes, other members Mary Coutinho, Anil Parulekar, Deepak Rane, Dayanand Mandrekar and Lucas Remedios.
D'Souza said that non, including press persons, had approached the panchayat to ascertain the facts when the licence had been issued to Arjun Harmalkar.
He said that the licence was issued only after completing all legal formalities, which included the change of zone from orchard to settlement by the Town and Country Planning Department.
The Additional Collector had issued the conversion 'sanad', while Mapusa PDA had granted NOC for the development. The electricity, PWD and health services had issued NOCs for the construction and health services had issued NOCs for the construction.
D'Souza provided copies of all these documents to the press person. D'Souza claimed that there is no danger to the spring if the construction is completed, as the same is about 60 metres away from the Salmona spring, which is at a higher level and there is no danger of contamination of the water.
He expressed the panchayat's opposition to the acquisition of land and dvelopment at the spring, stating that it had not sent any proposal to the government regarding the same. He claimed that spending public money on unwanted projects would be wasteful.
D'Souza claimed that a few people from the area have been using the spring water for washing and bathing. The water of the spring has already been contaminated due to the dumping of garbage on teh plateau above the spring.
There is no need to acquire the land and develop the same, he said. D'Souza said the gram sabha (village council meeting) held on April 24 had unanimously passed a resolution, requesting the government not to acquire the private land for development, by succumbing to the pressure from the NGO.
Where were the NGOs all these years and why did MLA Dr Wilfred de Souza not acquire the land when he was the chief minister and tourism minister, he asked.
Meanwhile, the Salmona Pariyavaran Manch sources stated that in January 2003, the then minister for forests Vinay Tendulkar, Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Devendra Pandey and Range Forest Officer M V Kharkhanis visited the site and promised a series of reforestation and conservation measures, including declaring the area a 'private forest'.
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