Team Herald
MARGAO: The villagers of Verna questioned the Panchayat members whether they have granted permission to cut the hills in Verna, the mud from which is being used for the construction of Zuari bridge. The secretary said that the panchayat has not granted any permission, but the Town and Country Planning Department granted the same – meaning the panchayat cannot take action to stop the hill cutting.
But the villagers rejected the panchayat justification saying that if there is a disaster, the Panchayat will be responsible.
Villager Judith Rebello said that the government has no right to steal their land. “I want to ask the people here, are you not concerned?” she questioned. She informed the gram sabha that the hill is being cut almost at a ninety degrees gradient. Another villager informed that the highway contractor is using 25-tonne capacity trucks to transport the mud which has cracked the roads. Judith asked the Panchayat members how much revenue the Panchayat is getting from the sale of the mud. The secretary informed that no revenue is coming to the village. Later, the gram sabha resolved to issue a stop-work notice and conduct an inspection of the hill cutting site.
Another unauthorised activity going on in the village where the panchayat is not earning any revenue is the sale of groundwater. The villagers questioned the panchayat whether they are aware of how many people are pumping out water and supplying it to tankers. The panchayat was unable to give any clear answer. The villagers highlighted that water is a natural resource and claimed that certain individuals are stealing it while depriving others of water. They also said that water is being wasted by tankers as they travel on the road.
The gram sabha members also raised the issue of people drinking alcohol at the Verna lake. The sarpanch informed that he wrote to the Verna police twice but they are not taking any action.
The issue of the open air hall came back to haunt the panchayat members once again. While the Sarpanch claimed that an open-air hall is being constructed at the site, the TCP documents show that the plan of the hall was passed in January ’18 and thereafter in April the plan was revised. The latest approved plan shows only a bungalow, a shed and a compound wall in the property. This revelation left the Panchayat body dumbfounded. One villager Franky Fernades accused the Sarpanch of taking money for the project.
Inspired by Seraulim Gram sabha, the Verna gram sabha too passed a resolution that the Government should not pay the medical bills of MLAs and Ministers to go abroad for treatment. “One Minister went to Mumbai and got sick for reasons everyone knows but we are paying for his treatment while poor people get only Rs 2 lakh for their treatment,” said Judith Rebello.
The Gramsabha raised the issue of people selling fish along the highway. However, the villagers were divided on this issue. While some claimed that this the fish vendors on the highway are taking business away from the fisherwomen selling fish in the village tinto, others claimed that those vendors are Goans and they should be allowed to sell fish.
The gram sabha also resolved to extend support Goa Foundation and demand that the government recover the mining loot and use the money to help the mining-affected families.
