QUEPEM: The special gram sabha of Assolda panchayat on Sunday firmly rejected Fomento Company’s proposal to set up a project in the village on grounds that they do not want any polluting industry.
The villagers pointed out that the company had not specified what project they were planning to set up there and unanimously asserted that the project details should be placed before the public.
They were apprenhensive that being a mining firm, the company may set up either a mining project including dumping of ore or a coal stocking project there; both of which are polluting.
The special gram sabha had a large turnout of more than 200 villagers who appeared to be unanimous in their objection to the project given the past experience with the same company.
The villagers questioned the grounds on which the Town and Country Planning Department approved the project even though it was proposed to be set up in orchard land.
Sarpanch Custodio Fernandes said the villagers were totally opposed to the project and said the gram sabha resolution to oppose it was unanimous.
He said the panchayat was compelled to call for a special gram sabha because the TCP had approved construction of a compound wall and the project even though all the facts were not presented to it.
“After scrutiny, we noticed that the zoning certificate was not attached nor did the company have any conversion sanad because of which the panchayat rejected the proposal,” revealed Custodio.
However, the company challenged the panchayat decision before the Director of Panchayat because of which the panchayat was forced to call for a special gram sabha to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile former sarpanch Manoj Kumar Naik recalled that some years back they had moved the court to stop the same company from having the project in their village.
“The company has to present all the facts about the project to the people and as the same is not done, there is an objection,” he said.
