Team Herald
MARGAO: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) which had invited applications from town dwellers for housing scheme have encountered novice problems in Margao. Margao has recorded highest number of applications of which 2/3rd is from the Monte hill. With no land for rehabilitation in Margao the option to develop the same as a slum too is a distant possibility due to the land belonging to Comunidade.
The representatives of PMAY, who came to the Municipal meeting on Friday, gave a briefing at the meet and have said that they have received at least 963 forms for houses under the scheme. The MMC Councillors soon realised that at least 600 applications for the same have been received from Monte Dongor residents who are in comunidade land now. When raised the issue the representative Bhairav Kumar told “We will discuss this at the higher level and get some solution for the same” he said. When asked about the land he said that “the government is searching for land now.”
Nearly Rs. 14 crore in funds have been allocated for the work and the representatives further informed that there will be matching funds released by the state Government. When the representatives also urged that there is a provision for slum development the Councillors informed that there are 4 big slums and the biggest is on Comunidade land.
It will be interesting to see how the Government and the Municipality handles the issue as the encroachments on the Comunidades neither can be regularised nor can be considered for slum development if gone by the code of Comunidade. The court case of Monte Dongor in Margao has been loitering for years now.
