Calangute panchayat gets nod for garbage treatment plant
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CALANGUTE, JAN 23
The Ordinary Gram Sabha on Sunday asked the Calangute Panchayat to go ahead with the garbage treatment plant by taking on lease 22,000 sq mtrs of communidade land.
When one of the gram sabha members raised the issue of garbage treatment plant, Panch Joseph Sequeira informed the member that the land acquisition process has been delayed for reasons unknown to them and therefore they approached the Calangute Communidade for 22,000 sq mtrs of land for the project.
Sequeira also informed the Gram Sabha that after mutual discussion, the panchayat and the Calangute Communidade agreed upon a yearly rent of Rs 22 lakh for 10 years and thereafter the land will be of Calangute Panchayat only for the purpose of garbage treatment plant. The gram sabha members welcomed the decision.
Another gram sabha member raised the issue of de-silting of nullahs and waterways.
Replying to the query, Panch Laxman Porob Palyekar said he has taken up de-silting of nullhas and drains besides cross drains. He further informed that he has also put a proposal for a footpath from Vidyaniketan School to St Alex Church, Calangute, taking into the interest of children and others.
The gram sabha members were however not satisfied with the reply of the member.
Sequeira then intervened and said the Calangute Panchayat has proposed cross drains at Inas Paul house, Fatima’s house, close to St Alex Church, but they are yet to get an approval.
A heated discussion took place and while intervening in the heated discussion, Sequeira said: “The villagers themselves and our own panchayat members are blocking the developments in the village.”
Sequeira also blamed a Calangute NGO and its office bearers for false complaints against himself and other villagers in the name of CRZ violations, etc.
Intervening in the discussion, Sarpanch Alex Fernandes said Faustina Fernandes of Madda Vaddo has 18 cases in her name against Calangute villagers and called her to testify in the gram sabha.
Faustina testified saying that she never complained against anyone. “God only knows who has done it in my name,” she said.
Sequeira said the Panchayat has decided to file a forgery case against unknown persons for such false cases against the villagers.
Panch Palyekar proposed to put up inter-locking tiles in front of St Alex Church, where tourist buses and other vehicles are parked, causing inconvenience to the parishioners and others.
Palyekar said with inter-locking tiles in place, tourist and other vehicles would automatically be diverted to another stop. The proposal was welcomed by the members.
Sarpanch Alex Fernandes said the panchayat has decided to convene a special gram sabha to discuss and deliberate the CRZ notification.
He further said as per the notification, the panchayats are given 24 months to file their replies.
Explaining the CRZ issue, Sequeira said the panchayat has decided to convene a special gram sabha to discuss and deliberate the CRZ notification issue. The special gram sabha has been convened on February 13 to discuss the issue which was accepted by the gram sabha members.
Earlier, Alex Fernandes welcomed the members, while Secretary Subodh Prabhu read the minutes of the previous gram sabha which were confirmed by the members.
