08 Dec 2021  |   06:13am IST

Areal villagers demand Nessai land for sports academy

Areal villagers demand Nessai land for sports academy

Team Herald


MARGAO: Alleging that the Town and Country Planning Department made a mess related to land issues, the Villagers of Sao Jose De Areal demanded that the land under survey number 18/1 at Nessai should be acquired for the earlier proposed sports academy. 

Addressing the media persons at Margao on Tuesday, Fidelis Fredy Travasso along with other villagers, have also demanded to revoke all the permissions given by the Villager Panchayat of Sao Jose de Areal and TCP for the compound wall and plots. 

Fidelis Fredy Travasso said villagers are against the housing project on the above-mentioned land, which was earlier proposed and processed for the sports academy by the government. 

"The village of Sao Jose de Areal, is already devastated by massive illegal basalt mines and numerous crushers on the Comunidade lands, industrial estates on tribal and other lands. Every time the people of the said village have to come out on the streets and also knock on the doors of the concerned departments to save their village from such kind of disasters", he stated. 

He further alleged that the major destruction that the village is suffering is mostly because of the TCP Department and the panchayat have failed in fulfilling their duties in the interest of the village. 

"The TCP and the panchayat have granted technical clearances and provisional NOC for the development of 83 plots and three commercial centres in spite of knowing the fact that the said land is already having a government approval for the construction of multipurpose sports and cultural activities centre, besides indoor and outdoor stadium, and academy for the entire state of Goa", said Fredy. 

The villagers have been fighting this cause since 2005, and shockingly TCP and Panchayat have gone ahead with allowing housing projects on the said land. 

"We have even brought this to the notice of the local MLA, besides the sports minister and the local panchayat but none has taken this issue seriously. However, we are not going to keep quiet on the issue and will fight till succeed", he stated.  The villagers have further claimed that the TCP and the village panchayat of Sao Jose de Areal have violated the law as they have given the technical clearance order and provisional NOC for the development of 83 plots and commercial centres on the government approved sports academy, indicating a corrupt nexus between the TCP and the panchayat. 

"We also want to inform everyone not to purchase any plot or commercial centre in the said survey number 18/1 as it may land you in a trap, as there is a serious controversy over the said project, and it is totally unlawful and against  people's interests", said Fredy. 


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar