After bat tling over a controversial wall, residents under the Anjuna panchayat are now grappling with a fresh puzzle — why the Public Works Department’s (PWD) As sistant Engineer (AE) in Mapusa is suddenly keen on “urgent im provement” of an existing road from the Anjuna Police Station up to a restaurant located in Survey No. 206/1 of Anjuna village. The issue came to light when the minutes of the 479th meeting of the Goa Coastal Zone Manage ment Authority (GCZMA), held on September 11, 2025, were up loaded online. “The Anjuna panchayat never sent any proposition for the im provement of the road from the police station to the club. There was never any resolution in this regard and therefore the need to send a proposal never arose,” said former Anjuna sarpanch Laxmi das Chimulkar. According to Case No. 3.3 of the GCZMA minutes, the Authority received an application dated Au gust 5, 2025, from the Assistant Engineer, SD II, WD XIII, seeking approval for “urgent improve ment of the existing road.” An in spection was carried out just 15 days later, on August 20. Locals were shocked that the AE showed such enthusiasm for improving a road leading to com mercial establishments — while many internal village roads re main riddled with potholes.
Angry residents have written to the PWD, the GCZMA, the Administrator of Comu nidades, and the Anjuna Comunidade, questioning why tourists’ convenience is being prioritised over villagers’ long-standing demands for road repairs. “We have roads in the village filled with potholes, yet the AE decides to build a road that will benefit clubs which already cause nuisance at night with their loud noise. This government is completely against the people,” fumed activist Alex Noronha. The GCZMA report further notes that “the property falls within Intertidal Zone (CRZ IB), partly within CRZ-III (NDZ, 0–200 m), partly within CRZ-III (200–500 m) and partly outside CRZ jurisdiction as per CZMP 2011.” “The road the PWD plans to build will serve the clubs, not the locals. Moreover, the land belongs to the Anjuna Comunidade, from whom they have no permission,” said Satyan Harmalkar, a member of the Anjuna Biodiversity Board. Under the Code of Comunidade, an Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) must first be convened, and a resolution passed, before any land can be leased to the PWD for road construction. Records of the Anjuna Comunidade, accessed by O Heraldo, confirm that the last AGM was held on September 28, 2024, and the issue of Survey No. 206/1 was not on the agenda. “The date for the next AGM of our Comunidade has not yet been fixed. The procedure for the same has not yet started. Till then, let us wait and watch,” said Roysal D’Souza, a gauncar of the Anjuna Comunidade. In a letter to the North Goa Administrator of Comunidades, members of the Associ ation of Vagator, Chapora and Anjuna voiced their “objection to the misuse of Anjuna Comunidade land in Survey No. 206/1 for an illegal road-widening proposal to benefit commercial plots.” “By now, it appears to be routine for government offices to start work without con sulting locals or the panchayat. Normally, panchayats send proposals to various govern ment departments, but in our village, the government seems to decide what’s best for us without any consultation,” said resident Ana Fernandes. The GCZMA minutes also record that “as per CRZ Notification 2011, under Section 8(iii) (j), construction of road and drainage is a permissible activity in CRZ-III.” How ever, under the “Decision” column, it notes: “The Authority, after detailed discussion, decided to call the project proponent to clarify the legality of the road between 0–200 metres.” “Before anything else, the GCZMA should obtain the required NOC from the landhold er, which in this case is the Anjuna Comunidade. Without that, the inspection report is meaningless,” argued environmental activist Balbhim Malvankar. When contacted, Assistant Engineer Sandeep Kharkhanis (SD II, WD XII, PWD) told O Heraldo: “I sent the proposal to GCZMA for approval based on the note I received from the local MLA.”
