VASCO: The Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) on Thursday continued its drive, partially demolishing houses falling within the Funnel Zone of Dabolim International Airport.
In total, three houses were partially demolished during the drive, even as the house owners claimed that they had obtained all the valid permissions and approvals, including the NOC from the Indian Navy.
The occupants said that after obtaining all the permissions and approvals from the MPDA, Town and Country Planning Department (TCP), Chicalim village panchayat, and the Navy, the latter sent them show cause notices stating that they had committed a height violation and told them to reduce the height of their houses to 1.10 metres by demolishing the top roof. They claimed that they were granted permissions to construct houses with a height of 3.50 metres. “They will partially demolish three houses today, and this drive has been going on for the last 10 days. It is unfortunate and sad that after spending so much money and taking all the permissions, we will be forced to stay on the road with our families,” said the emotional residents.
Choking up, they said they spent their entire savings to purchase the land and construct houses. They said that they will now be unable to carry out any construction work.
According to these families, they wrote letters to the Bombay High Court at Goa, MPDA, and even approached the Supreme Court, which is likely to hear their matter on February 26. “We had requested MPDA to hold off on the demolition till February 26 and wait for the Supreme Court decision,” they said, appealing to the government to give them compensation or a house elsewhere, due to funnel restrictions by the Navy.
Since February 16, the MPDA has partially demolished 22 houses. A large police force was deployed in the Dabolim area to avoid a law-and-order situation.
Navy must re-survey Dabolim area: Mauvin
VASCO: Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho demanded that the Indian Navy resurvey the area at Dabolim and provide solace to the people affected by the funnel zone restrictions.
Reacting to the High Court order, Godinho opined that the lawyers who represented the people did not present the case properly. He said that the affected people had all the permissions and approvals from the concerned authorities, including the NOC by the Navy.
“The Naval authorities are saying that three meters height was given in the past, and now they can only allow 1.5 meters height. How can anyone reside in a house of 1.5 metres height, as if they are animals in a zoo enclosure?” he asked.
The Minister said that the Navy, which was cooperative in the past, had now become totally negative and added that the Navy should rethink its association with civil society.
Stating that the Indian Navy had promised a resurvey of the entire Dabolim, Godinho demanded that the Navy must now conduct the resurvey and stop punishing the hapless people.
Chicalim Sarpanch resigns from Mormugao PDA in protest
VASCO: Chicalim Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav resigned as a Member of the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) in protest against the partial demolition of houses undertaken by the Authority.
Expressing his disappointment, Yadav said that he felt ashamed to continue as a Member of MPDA. He said that the State government was silent, and the MPDA powerless while innocent villagers were being harassed, and their houses were demolished despite having all valid permissions and approvals, including NOCs issued by the Indian Navy.
“Navy has become Almighty, and MPDA has been taking wrong decisions detrimental to the villagers. What is more shocking is that MPDA had given permissions to these houses, and they themselves were not carrying out a demolition drive in the funnel zone,” he remarked.
Yadav opined that the affected villagers should either approach the High Court or Navy and not waste their time fighting with the MPDA since the State government seems to have no powers to intervene.
Yadav further disclosed that the Navy had asked the Chicalim village panchayat to remove beautification work undertaken in the open space at Jairam, citing security threats.
