Saligao panchayat to oppose land acquisition around Salmona spring
Navhind Times, April 3, 2005
NT Staff Reporter ------------------------- Panaji
April 2: The Saligao village panchayat has resolved to oppose land acquisition around the Salmona (Sharvani) spring in Saligao and has urged the director of tourism not to acquire the land.
A letter written by Ms Mary Fernandes, the sarpanch of the panchayat, to the director of tourism states that development of the spring will lead to commercialization of the place and that local youth will be exposed to the negatives of the tourism, like drugs and sex abuse, which are common in tourist attracted destinations.
The sarpanch has also attached a copy of resolution passed by the gram sabha way back in 1988 opposing acquisition of land around the spring.
The panchayat has also withdrawn the order to stop work on construction of a building issued by the sarpanch to the builder, Mr Arjun Harmalkar, on March 28. The panchayat has permitted Mr Harmalkar to go ahead with the construction work.
The sarpanch had order stoppage of work on building following protests by the villagers, who were opposing the construction which is barely 50 metres away from the spring. The villagers had during the protest on March 28 protest, demanded that government should preserve the forest area and environment.
The villagers opposing construction near the spring have strongly reacted to the resolution of the panchayat and have accused it of misleading the government authorities by attaching copy of the resolution of the gram sabha adopted in 1988 and not the most recent one.
A delegation of the villagers informed this paper that the gram sabha held on February 23, 2003 had resolved to oppose the conversion sanad for construction.
The delegation also produced a letter written by the sarpanch, Ms Fernandes, to the deputy collector of North Division at Mapusa dated July 7, 2004, opposing grant of sanad for conversion of land. The sarpanch had asked the deputy collector to revoke the licence and stop construction activity.
The sarpanch had by the letter brought to the notice of the deputy collector opposition of various agencies, including panchayat, villagers, forest department, to the building project of Mr Harmalkar. The sarpanch had also stated that the then chief minister had also objected to the project at the site.
Meanwhile, the local legislator Dr Wilfred de Souza has said that the most recent resolution of the panchayat opposing construction in the vicinity of the spring was the valid one and not the old one passed in 1988.
He further said that the process for land acquisition was on and that it woudl take its own course before it is completed.
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