MAPUSA: As the Town and Country planning department is freely approving mega housing projects in No Development Zones (NDZ) in Bardez taluka, frustrated Camurlim villagers and likeminded people on Friday marched to the office of deputy town planner Bardez to submit a representation. They also sought clarification and demanded to stop the work of the mega housing project which is coming up on the hills of Camurlim and Pomburpa villages.
However, when the villagers reached the office, the deputy town planner Jaidev Aldonkar was not available in his office. However, instead of returning to the village, the people decided to wait for the deputy town planner to arrive. However, till the end of the day, the deputy town planner did not arrive.
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The frustrated villagers have now threatened to visit the office next week alleging that the TCP minister is keeping the officer away from the people as they have approved these projects illegally. They also said that they are not going to give up, but rather prepare for a mega protest by calling people from all over the state and continue to fight the issue till the projects are not scrapped.
For the last several months the villagers of Camurlim have been fighting their peaceful battle to save their village from the mega housing project which is coming on the hills of Camurlim. In this regard, the villagers submitted several representations as well as filed complaints at the office of different authorities concerned but the authorities failed to act.
“The Town and Country Planning department officials, as well as the minister are hand in glove with the builder lobby who are out to sell Goa. We were here to submit a representation and demand action on the illegal projects. We also wanted to ask the officer, what action his office has taken on the complaint filed by the villagers that the deputy town planner was not available. Since morning we waited to meet him. There are senior citizens who were part of this march, but the deputy town planner did not turn up, nor answer the phone calls. We will come again next week and won’t give up until we succeed in saving Goa,” villagers said.
