CALANGUTE: On Tuesday, the Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) submitted complaint letters to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and other authorities regarding a 300 meters wide road being constructed behind the shacks at Saunthawaddo- Cobrawaddo border on the beach at Calangute. A week back, at the end of Tito’s lane the work of constructing this road had begun. 

The locals brought this to the notice of the Calangute Constituency Forum on Sunday who acted swiftly in the matter after finding out that the road was being constructed without any permission. They have made a complaint under section 15 of the Environment Protection Act 1986 for destroying beach vegetation and causing damage to the ecology in CRZ by constructing an illegal mud road. The letter stated that this work has caused blatant violation of CRZ norms where in ecological balance has been disturbed by destroying sand dunes, beach vegetation and felling of trees in the area which protect sand erosion. 

The Calangute Sarpanch, Shawn Martins told Herald that there was a garbage dump for several years that had accumulated behind the shacks at Saunthawaddo- Cobrawaddo border. “The panchayat has not constructed any road. In fact there was big garbage dump that was being cleaned with the help of a JCB and truck. The existing concrete road was disturbed due to the cleaning operation and hence the road was being restored. The people mistook us thinking that we were constructing a new road,” he said. 

The President of Calangute Constituency Forum, Premanand Divkar pointed out that it is evident that a road was being constructed by the panchayat which is now trying to fool us by giving lame reasons. “It is really sad to see that the sand has been destroyed due to the road that has been constructed. There was no work order in place and neither did they seek permission from GCZMA as the area comes under the CRZ. We have written to the GCZMA, Collector, Calangute Polcie and other authorities demanding to stop the said development. We have also asked for appropriate action to be taken against the concerned people and contractor” said Premanand.