05 Dec 2022  |   07:06am IST

Cortalim locals allege land grab of church property, demand action from authorities

Parish Priest Fr Simon Diniz after witnessing alleged illegal construction of houses by migrants on church property has filed complaints; on Sunday held a public meeting of parishioners to highlight the issue
Cortalim locals allege land grab  of church property, demand action from authorities

Team Herald

MARGAO: Cortalim locals along with parishioners of the Church of St Philip and St James gathered on Sunday for a meeting where a unanimous demand was made seeking immediate action by the authorities against the alleged land grabbing of church property in Cortalim.

The locals also expressed their solidarity with the Cortalim Parish Priest Fr Simon Diniz who has bravely come forward to fight the issue and has run from pillar to post filing complaints with all the departments concerned.

Fr Diniz had issued the call for the meeting, which was attended in large numbers.

Locals were shocked that not only has the church property been encroached upon with houses being built there but also hill cutting and other such destructive activities have been carried out in the No Development Zone (NDZ). The gathering demanded the Cortalim Panchayat to carry out an investigation into the matter.

The 20,400 square meters of land is situated in Consul that falls under the Cortalim panchayat’s jurisdiction. Fr Diniz had earlier pointed out that all the documents pertaining to the ownership of the land had been given to the panchayat. After inspecting the area recently, he had questioned how these alleged illegal houses had been given house numbers even before they were even built. He had shown how the houses had even got electrical connections. He pointed out that migrants are the ones building these houses.

Concerns have been raised over the safety and security of those who have raised the issue as they are being threatened. 


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar