Team Herald
MARGAO: Villagers of Chandor in a press note issued on Saturday accused MLA Clafasio Dias of not giving priority to their demand to de-notify the State Highway passing through their village and hence compelling them to go to former MLA Joaquim Alemao for help.
In a press note signed by the co-convener Domnick Mendes along with seven others, the villagers pointed out that a copy of the memorandum dated May 16, 2017 that was addressed to the TCP Minister was submitted to Clafasio Dias.
The MLA however did not show any concern to the demand and in fact even declined to meet the TCP Minister with the villagers when they asked him to accompany them. Pointing out that now the MLA claims to have met the minister individually and he was asked to give an alternative, the villagers lamented that the MLA failed to show that the alternative was already there in the Regional Plans 2001 and 2021.
Pointing out that as the MLA had even told some villagers that it was impossible to get the highway de-notified, the villagers claimed that they went to ex-MLA Joaquim for help as they felt the present MLA was not serious about the matter.
Rebutting Clafasio’s claim that he had raised the matter in the Assembly, the villagers said the televised assembly proceedings did not show him raising the matter and asked him to produce proof of the same if any.
Reiterating that the group formed to oppose the State Highway passing through the village was totally apolitical, the villagers said they had independently approached the PWD minister and even the chief minister with their grievance and said they would approach anybody who would support them in the fight to protect the rich heritage of the village for posterity.
