VASCO: Ex-Speaker and former Vasco MLA Rajendra Arlekar has said that Vaddem Lake belongs to the people. “No religious institution can claim right over water bodies, because all water bodies belong to the State (government) and not private persons,” he said.
He said that Goa government has spent crores of rupees to beautify the place. “Water bodies cannot be a private property or of any religious institution and it belongs to the State, that is, the public,” he said.
Arlekar made his comments in the wake of tension and disagreement between two communities over the use of Vaddem Lake.
Recently, Vasco Parish Priest Fr Coutinho had asserted that the Vaddem Lake belongs to the church and that if any one infringes on that right, the Church would explore legal options.
