Team Herald
MARGAO: While locals from Chinchinim accused Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues of wasting public funds to build a road leading to a property allegedly purchased by him, Revolutionary Goans refused to acknowledge that the land was acquired by the government to construct a bypass.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The controversy starts with a notification dated 15th September 2009 by which the government acquired 10,483 sq mts of land in Chinchinim from 71 different parties that included the Comunidade of Chinchinim and the Fabrica de Igreja de Chinchinim.
According to Remedios D’Cunha from Chinchinim though the government acquired the land, Public Works Department, clandestinely working in the night, has filled up a field adjacent to the acquired land and that even the Flying squad following his complaint held that the land filling is illegal.
However, he said, the authorities deliberately issued the show cause notice to the wrong person and also mentioned the wrong survey number and said the government has now issued the tender to A R Constructions to prepare the bypass by spending Rs 3.18 crore on it.
“The road proposed runs parallel to the Selaulim canal and then suddenly turns left to lead to flat land where nobody lives,” he said and alleged that while one plot is already purchased by Filipe Neri Rodrigues, the other belonging to one Lavinia Berne is also sought to be purchased by him.
However, Aditya Dessai of Revolutionary Goans insisted that the land was acquired by the Water Resources Department to construct a canal and refused to acknowledge the fact that in official notification and even the notices issued to the owners or tenants it was clearly mentioned that the acquisition was for constructing a bypass road.
“They are constructing a road parallel to the canal which in the first place drove away people who were cultivating their fields there and the fields are now further encroached upon by this illegal road,” he said.
