Curtorim gram sabha roars to oppose mega project

MARGAO, JAN 4
Uproar marked the Sunday gram Sabha of Curtorim Village Panchayat, with villagers with one voice saying a firm no to the mega project mooted by Sir Bio-Tech India Ltd at Ralloi.
While strongly opposing any plan to grant construction license to the project, the gram Sabha resolved to ask the Panchayat body to go in appeal against the order of the Additional Director of Panchayats, Melvyn Vaz directing the Panchayat secretary to process the file of Sir Bio-Tech India within 15 days.
The meeting had began on a stormy note as the gram Sabha was chaired by a Panch member Charles Baretto in the absence of the Sarpanch Veena Lourenco and her deputy and acting Sarpanch Ethelvina Albuquerque.
While Veena is presently on leave, the acting Sarpanch Ethelvina stayed away from the meeting on medical grounds, prompting the gram Sabha members to appoint Panch Charles Barretto to chair the proceedings.
Gram Sabha members contended that the mega project proposed by Bio-Tech India Ltd at Ralloi, bordering Sao Jose de Areal village, will not only affect the village demography, but will have a telling effect on the crumbling infrastructure.
They pointed out that the proposal to build 176 apartments in the village would only invite hordes of outsiders in the village.
Incidentally, uproar erupted again when the chairman told the gram Sabha membes that the file relating to the project is not there in the Panchayat.
The Panchayat Secretary confirmed that the file is missing from the village, prompting the gram Sabha members to question the Secretary how the file could just go missing from the records.
Curtorim Zilla Member Santan Rodrigues also questioned the Chairman of the meeting, Charles Barretto to explain how the Panchayats are not empowered to decide on mega housing project.
Rodrigues reminded the Chairman that the Panchayat as well as the gram Sabha enjoy the powers under the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution and maintained that the Panchayat body should respect the sentiments of the gram Sabha.
He pointed out that the Panchayat body issues construction licenses and that the Director of  Panchayats cannot direct the local bodies to act in a certain manner.