03 Aug 2021  |   07:35am IST

Will Entertainment Village project meet IT hub fate?

Mandrem Sarpanch says panchayat has not received any communication with regards to the project; Locals fear the project will destroy thousands of trees atop the hill and lead to ecological imbalance
Will Entertainment  Village project  meet IT hub fate?

Team Herald

PERNEM: Will the proposed Entertainment village project meet the same fate as that of Kala Bhavan and IT hub which failed to materialise in Mandrem?

The residents of Mandrem have raised this question as former minister and the then MLA Ramakant Khalap had made a statement that a Kala Bhavan project is proposed in the village. Similarly former Chief Minister and the then legislator Laxmikant Parsekar too had made a statement that an IT hub is proposed in the village. However, these projects never materialised as both Khalap and Parsekar were ousted in the Assembly polls.

It is pertinent to note that GTDC chairman and Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte had said he had discussed the project during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the Secretariat, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Babu Ajgaonkar, Pernem Deputy Collector Ravishankar Nipanikar and other GTDC officials.

Sopte said, “1.64 lakh sq mtrs of land is presently in possession of the Revenue Department. An electricity substation will be set up on 14,000 square metres of land, while the remaining 1.5 lakh square metres will be handed over to GTDC through the Tourism Department for the proposed Entertainment Village,”.

The residents of Mandrem said the MLA Sopte’s statement could be vague as neither they nor the panchayat are aware about the project details. 

Sarpanch Subhash Asolkar said, “We haven’t received any communication with regards to the 

Entertainment Village project and until we receive any correspondence from the government, the panchayat cannot take any stand”.

Asolkar said, “If the villagers oppose the project, the panchayat will be with them. However, if the project is beneficial for the village then definitely the villagers and the panchayat will support it”.

A youth Tushar Govekar said, “The Entertainment Village project is going to destroy the peace of the village and thousands of trees atop the hill where this project is proposed which will lead to ecological imbalance. The government should take the locals into confidence and reveal the project details and how it will benefit the villagers. If this project is going to be a spot for EDM festival then we will definitely oppose it.  The government must come up with eco-friendly projects”.

Mandrem activist Sandesh Sawant said, “First the concerned department should explain what the project is all about through presentation. We demand an environment impact assessment (EIA) report on the proposed project as we want to know impact the project will have on ecology. The land where this project is proposed is a hilly area with wild animals and if their habitat is destroyed then there is every possibility that they moving into the village”.

“We don’t know the project details. If it will include only parties then the villagers will reject it, as the village lacks sufficient basic facilities such as water, electricity and roads. Mandrem beach is declared as turtle nesting site and if music festivals are organised then it will impact turtle nesting”, Sawant added.

“If nature is destroyed then why will tourists visit Mandrem? Government should not try to force such unnecessary projects on the people. It should rather focus on completing important projects such as Tuem Hospital, power station in Mandrem and others”, Sawant demanded.


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar