SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Team Herald
CHANDOR: Fast disappearing agricultural land, mushrooming illegal constructions and use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) dominated the Guirdolim gram sabha on Sunday.
The villagers argued that Section 39-A of the Town and Country Planning Act was ultra vires of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, denounced its hurried introduction and charged it is a ploy to allow backdoor entry for conversion of Goa's lands for private and business interests and hence demanded its abrogation. Villagers argued that TCP Department has to compulsorily consult the panchayat with regards to any proposed or sought changes in the zoning pattern already notified.
Section 39-A gives the right to change zoning pattern only to TCP officials without consulting the local body and that is what the villagers objected to demanding that the panchayat has to be informed.
Illegal constructions particularly on Communidade land was also discussed as at the last gram sabha and the villagers had asked Communidade not to sell agricultural lands to migrants.
Sarpanch Sonia Fernandes read the reply from Guirdolim Communidade advising that objections could be filed under Article 330 of the Code of Communidades as such it was decided that the panchayat inspect these constructions at Gainall and accordingly lodge a complaint.
Panchayat was also asked to inspect the area where houses are constructed under the 20 Point programme as there were complaints of illegal constructions and extensions there too.
The villagers very vociferously demanded that all future elections including the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, be conducted using ballot papers.
Various villagers alleged that the ruling BJP was manipulating the EVMs and pointed out that various countries have rejected their use as they can be manipulated.
Lack of football ground in the village which has been pending for the last nearly 15 years was also discussed at the Gram Sabha with the panchayat asked to expedite the process of preparing the ground at Molla where 7,500 sq mts is earmarked for a ground.
This ground development is pending due to some problems with the developers who developed the land keeping this area for the ground and panchayat was asked to clear the problem as soon as possible.
The gram sabha also asked the panchayat to pursue with the concerned authorities to enable the police outpost in the village to accept complaints from people as currently they have to travel all the way to Manora, Raia.
It was pointed out that a panchayat member who was recently assaulted was kept sitting at the police out post for nearly 45 minutes without even given first aid as his complaint was not being accepted there.
The Chandor police outpost is headed by a head constable who is not authorised to accept any complaint from the public and hence people have to go to the Maina Curtorim Police Station at Raia.
