PONDA: The Curti and Ponda locals on Saturday appealed to the State government to protect the hills that are No Development Zone from levelling to the ground.
The worried locals said that despite several complaints to the Town and Country Planning Department hills levelling work is progressing at many places including urban and rural areas for construction purposes. The locals questioned how can the hills that are NDZ are chopped for construction purposes. The hills are converted now into concrete jungles with residential houses and buildings.
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The Ponda locals are worried with the fact that for the purpose of constructions, the hills at Deepanagar, Zingadimal in Curti and various parts of the taluka, are chopped and levelled to the ground along with trees, which are the green covers.
Sandeep Parkar, a social activist from Ponda, said that he filed several complaints against hill cutting at Deepanagar with the TCP and other government Authorities. Following complaints, the work was stopped by the TCP but after a gap of few months again the migrants and builders started levelling hills illegally.
“The TCP and government need to protect these hills which are important source of water catchment and springs throughout the year. These hills are NDZ, so they should not be allowed for conversions into settlement zones,” he added.
Meanwhile, following complaints by locals against illegal hill cutting and illegal construction of houses, the Curti-Khandepar Panchayat has issued notices to seven migrant households asking to demolish illegal houses within 15 days of notice failing which the panchayat would demolish the same.
