Team Herald
BASTORA: The plot owners at Gandhyar, Xell-Bastora denied the allegation of hill cutting in their property, on Thursday. In survey No 113/3, the owners claimed that it was an open space and belonged to all the plot owners and it was their right to develop it.
One of the plot owners of that colony said that mud that was dumped in their open space was being cleared and levelled by them.
“A total of 29 plot owners from the colony are trying to develop an open space for the children and people. Plan for open space was approved by the panchayat and TCP. We have been planning to build a garden for the children to play. This is not illegal hill cutting. We are following all the rules and regulation,” said another plot owner.
However, reliable sources say that the open space belongs to the owner late Philip Mascarenhas and not the plot owners. They were involved in hill cutting in monsoon where there was a joint inspection carried out by the comunidade and plot owners last year.
It may be recalled that on Thursday, a complaint letter was addressed to the village panchayat, Deputy Collector, TCP, Mines and Geology Department pointing out that there was no permission sort from the competent authority to carry out the said work.
The complainant Viresh Borkar, who is a founder member of Revolutionary Goans stated that there was no permission taken as there was no display board available at the site where the excavation or rather hill cutting work was being carried out.
