MARGAO: The construction of around 20 houses on a hillock that was “illegally cut” to prepare the space for construction was heatedly discussed at the Paroda Gram Panchayat on Sunday with some villagers alleging that local MLA Clafacio Dias being involved in the hill cutting.
The matter was raised by the villagers after the gram sabha agenda was completed and taken up for discussion even though nothing in writing was submitted to the panchayat that people wanted to raise this issue.
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The villagers, led by Gabriel Fernandes, pointed out that around 20 illegal houses have come up at Agramorod in the village where a hill has been illegally cut to prepare the flat space required to construct the houses.
“Even though they have no permission or licence from any authority the owners of these houses have already got electricity and even water connection,” he said while pointing out that the owners of all the houses are non-Goans but migrants who have illegally grabbed the land prepared for them by politicians.
Sarpanch Inacio Tereza while admitting that there are illegal houses constructed in that area pointed out that the previous secretary Ameya Mirijkar who carried out an inspection of the site was immediately transferred after that.
The villagers alleged that the secretary’s transfer very clearly indicated a political involvement in the matter and though the sarpanch did not react to this he assured the villagers that a fresh inspection would be held shortly.
“We shall take action against whoever is responsible for this illegality,” he said.
Around 40 people present for the gram sabha also approved a deficit budget which, thanks to the Rs. 88 lakh opening balance, turned into a surplus of Rs 54.39 lakh. The budget projected a total income of Rs. 77.99 lakh as against an expected expenditure of Rs 1.11 crore.
The highest income was projected from XV Finance Commission grants which was posted at Rs 20 lakh and Rs 5 lakh were expected as garbage management grants. While a meagre Rs 3 lakh were projected as receipts from house tax, Rs 2 lakh are expected from licence fee.
On the expenditure side the panchayat proposed to spend Rs 50 lakhs on development works and Rs 10 lakh on extension of street lights while Rs 5 lakh was proposed to be spent on the garbage management.
