MARGAO: The Benaulim gram sabha on Sunday outright rejected the government’s proposal to set up a burial ground on the banks of River Sal at Harealam in Sirvodem of Margao town after panchayat member Nilesh Prabhudessai read out a representation made by the residents of Sirvodem.
The representation pointed out that the area earmarked for the burial ground is not only on the banks of River Sal but is also part of the catchment area that normally gets flooded during the monsoons and in fact currently is totally water logged.
Benaulim villagers fear that bodies buried in this low lying and water logged area would result in polluting the river Sal and hence objected to setting up the burial ground at that place.
Besides, they also objected to the plans to have a service road to the proposed burial ground from the Western Bypass that is under construction at the moment as this service road will start in their village.
The illegal houses that have mushroomed at Tolleaband was also discussed at the gram sabha wherein it was pointed out that the channel leading to the lake has been blocked by a builder and the panchayat was directed to get the original channel excavated and restored.
“The fact that the WRD is asking for an NOC indicates that they propose to construct another channel even though they are duty bound to protect and maintain the existing one which actually belongs to them and the NOC is sought only to protect and help the builder,” a former member of the panchayat John Barretto alleged.
The panchayat was also directed to check whether the occupants of the illegal houses have sought regularization of their houses under the new scheme announced by the government for regularising unauthorised structures and asked the panchayat to object to their regularisation.
The Deputy Collector was also criticised for “sleeping” on the matter for nearly six months and not taking any action and the panchayat was asked to write to the chief minister complaining about the deputy collector’s tardy functioning.
The panchayat members were criticised for not taking garbage dumping seriously and were also asked to be vigilant about youth from Monte Dongor and Housing Board in Margao coming to Benaulim to drink and then attack and rob tourists.
Incidentally, only eight of the 11 panchayat members were present for the gram sabha that had altogether 85 people in attendance. Two panchayat members David Fernandes and Remmy Fernandes arrived after 11 am even though the gram sabha had commenced at 10.15 am.
