Team Herald
VASCO: Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim (CAC) Sarpanch Marta Saldanha on Monday threatened to file a police complaint against fishermen leader Olencio Simoes and others for allegedly instigating the villagers and trespassing into the panchayat office, threatening the panchayat staff by asking them to move out of the panchayat during their protest on Friday.
It may be recalled that opposing the proposed hotel project in the village, a group of CAC villagers on Friday decided to meet CAC Sarpanch and Panchayat secretary to handover a memorandum to them after their protest rally. However, irked over the absence of Saldanha and secretary during office hours they held protest in the panchayat demanding to close down the panchayat office and accusing the panchayat of supporting a proposed hotel project in the village.
Addressing a press conference in CAC panchayat office along with all eight panchas, Saldanha said, “It is a wrong message that those protestors wanted to give to the people through media. If they had any grievance against the project then they should have filed complaint before appropriate authorities but they cannot take law into their own hands. They cannot come with handful of villagers and try to accuse the panchayat. What a shame that we have 4500 people in the village but these people could garner support of only 71 people involving kids. Isn’t it a shame for Olencio and others who have been instigating them?” Saldanha asked.
“Also we would like to condemn the action of protestors as they have no right to threaten our panchayat staff without any reasons. This proves that Simoes and others are frustrated with the kind of support we have got from the villagers. I will file a police complaint because the protestors cannot trespass into my office and threaten my staff,” Saldanha warned.
Refuting the allegations made by the speakers during the protest, she said, “Panchayat is supporting the hotel project as they have obtained all required permissions from competent authorities. I also want to clarify that only after the district court passed an order asking us to issue construction licence once all the documents are cleared, the panchayat issued the licence. Since the project proponent produced all the documents, the file was placed before panchayat and all nine members unanimously resolved to grant the licence. Their documents were clear so how can we refuse permission. The protestors should have checked and done their home work before taking or making allegations against the panchayat,” Saldanha added.
