Team Herald
VASCO: The residents of Fatima Colony in Dabolim on Thursday threatened to file public interest litigation (PIL) before High Court if the officials of state administration including the Chicalim Panchayat try to unnecessarily delay in acting against the encroachments in open space belonging to the colony plot owners.
According to the residents, around eight months ago, the plot owners felt the need to have a park in the open space and since some people had illegally constructed structures on the said space owned by the colony plot owners, a group of residents took lead and lodged a complaint before competent authorities including Chicalim panchayat, MPDA, BDO and Deputy Collector pleading them to remove these encroachments. However, they conducted a site inspection but failed to act in the matter.
“As per our records, our open space consists of an area of around 2211 sq mts but since many people had encroached on our open space, we filed a complaint before all competent authorities as we wanted to our open space back so that the area can be developed into garden or park like the joggers park constructed at Chicalim by our MLA. Sadly, eight months have passed since we had complained to the authorities but till date nothing has been done, except for some four to five inspections, leaving all the plot owners agitated and aggrieved. Even today, an inspection by Mormugao BDO was planned but was later held in the afternoon. Let’s see if they act or not,” said Satish Kamtikar, a resident of Fatima Colony.
Meanwhile, some people, who are having their structures in the open space owned by the colony residents claim that their structures were built some over two decades ago and much before the property owner could develop the plots, which is now named as Fatima Colony.
They claimed they were not consulted by the property owner before developing the plots in his property.
