Team Herald
PONDA: The Bandora panchayat and residents hurled abuses at each other at the gram sabha while discussing the proposed bypass roads and a plot being illegally developed at Farmagudi.
The panchayat had recently held a press conference to announce that it would take strict action against the illegal development of a plot at Farmagudi.
At the gram sabha, the villagers said that the panchayat body was within its rights to call the press conference, but the same had been held on the direction of PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar.
They were also angry that despite agitating and raising the issue for the last one year, the panchayat never replied to their queries on what action had taken against the developers. They demanded that the panchayat tell them the same at a special meeting.
The villagers also questioned why additional bypass roads are being created by PWD at Farmagudi when the villagers had not asked for them. Unsatisfied with the panchayat’s replies, the locals abused the panches, who shot back with abuses of their own.
However, the issue was settled when the villagers apologised for creating the ruckus.
The members also questioned the need for a bypass road to Priol and another to Katamgal-Bandora from Goa Engineering College, when there are already two-lane roads. They alleged that these roads will encourage construction activities on Bandora comunidade land and that there will be no land for future generations.
Panch Ramchandra Naik said that these additional roads are being constructed to prevent people from trespassing into the GEC premises. The locals suggested GEC apppoint security to ensure that there are no trespassers.
