UNPLANNED MUSHROOMING OF MEGA PROJECTS AT DONA PAULA AND CARANZALEM
PRESS NOTE STEPHEN DIAS DONA PAULA 26th Dec 2018 We, the residents of Dona Paula near National Institute of Oceanography, strongly object to the constructions activities going on within a radius of 100 meters at the NIO circle which is going to create heavy traffic hazards as well parking problems to us. The two projects which are coming up are going to severely affect and block the Dona Paula-Bambolim stretch of road at the slope. The residents of the area are up in arms and have become very agitated about the developments in the area which are going to affect life drastically in the area. One project is filling up of land which earlier was a temporary bus shelter for tourists vehicles and now supposedly the construction being supported by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation ( GTDC) where they are planning to have a garden, toilet and a restaurant. The area is about 2000 square meters approximately and the same is likely to be expanded by demolition of heritage structure adjacent to this project. The road between the NIO residential colony and planned structure is about 12.5 meters will not be enough to take the load of parking for the high rise building which is being proposed by the builder's lobby of a five-star hotel in the vicinity. Sometimes back, the headmistress of the higher secondary of Our Lady of Rosary school Dona Paula fell thrice due to the bad condition of the road. Similar accidents have taken place many times in the recent past at the slope due to the narrowing of this stretch of the road. In fact this road has to be widened so as to be able to cater to traffic density in the area. Several representations have been sent to both the then -MLA of Panaji as well as Taleigao MLA to widen the road but no action in the matter has been taken. Only at this NIO Circle the road is narrow while the other connecting roads are wide enough. This is a great inconvenience and cause for concern for all traffic in the area which will affect the peace of the residents of the locality. Some scientists from the NIO have suggested that this bus shelter be shifted to the near the Children's Park at Caranzalem in order to ease the congestion. The second project which is hardly fifty meters away diagonally located at Bay View colony where all licences have been issued by the NGPDA, CCP, Health Department and Goa Fire Services (photo enclosed) for construction of an eight storeyed building with swimming pool in an area barely 500 square meters. Several complaints have been made to the Panchayat as well as the Corporation of the City of Panaji who both seemed to have overlooked our requests for revision of the plans as the buildings sideways of it are belonging to the panchayat and house tax are been paying for more than ten years by the occupants to the panchayat. However, this particular high rise building intentionally did not shift to Panchayat and continued paying CCP House tax for their HIGHER FAR advantage. Neither CCP nor TALEIGAO PANCHAYAT brought any objection. Since this building is going to be of eight floors no adequate parking facilities will be available to the residents and therefore we demand that this project be scrapped and changed this construction into Panchayat in par with its side neigbours. The adjacent road is hardly only 5 meters wide which is the borderline between Panchayat and CCP. If no action is initiated to address the grievances of the area, we will have to knock on the doors of justice to alleviate our concerns. Also at the moment, being a residential area, the huge JCB excavating this area is a nuisance to the residents. The supervisor of the JCB told us that the work contractors of both the projects is one and the same. We strongly condemn the concretization of this residential area which is going to destroy the serenity of this residential area. There is lack of control in the mushrooming of high-rise building in the area, which should immediately be stopped by the authorities concerned such as the CCP, PWD and Panchayat. ( Both pent from my Samsung device