Say builder can’t do anything as their appeal is before the DMA
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Tension rent the air at the Costa ground, Aquem, on Friday evening after local residents protested over action of erecting an iron panel over a nullah to make way for vehicles to enter the property.
Agitated over the action, the residents stopped the work and demanded that the builder lift away the panel. To avoid the situation from going out of hand police intervened and DySP Mohan Naik called both the builder Manjunath Dhukle and the agitated residents to the police headquarters.
Adv Jawahar Dias told DySP Naik that the builder had carried out development activity when the matter was sub-judice. It may be recalled that an appeal filed by the residents against the Margao Municipal Council resolution granting license renewal is pending before the Director of Municipal Administration. Dias said the builder has not come with clean hands, saying that he has carried out development work on Friday evening, knowing fully aware that most of the authorities are closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Dhukle, on the other hand, while admitting that a petition stands pending with the DMA’s office, however, contended that there’s no stay granted by the DMA on the application, adding that he is free to undertake work in his property in the absence of any stay order. Dhukle further contended that he has commenced work on the culvert only after obtaining all licenses from the authorities concerned.
Adv Dias demanded that the builder be directed to remove the iron panel immediately or else threatened that the residents will clear the panel from the nullah. Margao Municipal Councillors Avinash Shiodkar and Damu Naik also told DySP Naik that the builder should not be permitted to take up development work when the appeal is pending with the DMA.
Aquem Ground Bachao Association general secretary Andrew Sequeira said the 20,000 residents of Aquem will not allow any construction work on the Costa ground, saying they are ready to go to jail to save the ground for posterity.
DySP Naik told Herald that he had suggested to Adv Dias to either get a stay on the work from the JMFC or obtain a stop-work order from the Deputy Collector, an interim relief from the DMA restraining the builder from carrying out any work or to approach the MMC for cancellation of the license. Sources said there were no takers for the suggestions mooted by the DySP and the residents headed back to the Costa ground.
Late in the night the residents threw the iron panels in the nullah.
