Abandoned shanties of Tonca
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, FEB 19: Ward VI which is right in the middle of hustle and bustle of Tonca appears to be a carefree upper middle class locality with no inherent problems. This posh locality has a down side too, hidden behind the tall and posh buildings.
The area opposite Kamat Classics is one such place, where within a radius of fifty meters you will see a small mud house; turn right, and you would come across a few more such houses. If plush apartments of this area have all the facilities, the shanties there lack even basic amenities such as sanitary facilities.
Kishore Katkar, who stays with his wife in one of the mud houses here, complains that his landlord has refused to allow them build a toilet.
“My landlord is so adamant that he is not allowing us to cut an old tree which is leaning over our house,” complains Katkar.
Ask him if he hasn’t approached his ward corporator for help. “Oh! They come once in five years and only during election time,” he said, even as he admitted that Taleigao MLA Babush Monserrate who canvassed for his candidate Bento Lorena in the area, on Friday has assured him to talk to the landlord.
“Though we are living here for over fifty years — we can’t do anything — we are in a hopeless situation,” says Mrs Katkar while trying to be optimistic about the assurance of Taleigao MLA.
Condition of the residents who are staying in the shanties there is no different. Outgoing corporator Regina Almeida who is contesting from Ward VII, this time, says the problem is not easy to tackle because of the ambiguity over title of the land.
“There are about ten shanties and I have tried my best to help them but things are different now as the matter has gone to the court,” she said, hastily adding that she tried to get other works done in her ward.
“I have obtained an approval for a garden to be built in the area as well as approval for tarring of three roads whose estimates are ready,” she adds.
However, she admitted that could not do much for the residents whose electricity connections were disconnected through the order of the Rent controller two years ago.
Residents had stopped paying rent when the middle man who claimed to have had papers of the property frequently hiked rent.
Radhabai, Rassul, Khadaksing have grown accustomed to living without electricity during last two years yet they live with a hope that their corporator would do something and their electricity connections would be restored one day.
