MARGAO: Unless proper infrastructure is provided and people’s demands are met, the Davorlim-Dicarpale gram sabha resolved to oppose the government’s proposed education hub within its jurisdiction and also approved a Rs 77.80 lakh budget.
The gram sabha was totally dominated by the proposed education hub with villagers wanting to know any information about the project and the helpless Sarpanch Tulshidas Dessai confessed that the panchayat has no information at all as it has not been taken into confidence by the government.
“Some six months ago the Panchayat body was invited at the site for an inspection and we were only told that the government was planning to have an education hub there,” he said adding that going by media reports, even the government was not aware of how many schools would come up there since applications are still being sought.
How much land the government has acquired is also not known as the media quoted the Education Director as saying 1.35 lakh sq mts is acquired while earlier reports said it was 1.20 sq mts and the panchayat was told it was 1.15 sq mts land that was acquired.
Villagers raised various questions over the issue like increased traffic, noise pollution due to it, hustle and bustle and threat to their lifestyle and finally it was decided that the project would be opposed unless the government provided all necessary infrastructure for it and also met with the people’s demand.
The people’s demands included 20,000 sq mts of land for constructing a chapel and 5,000 sq. mts of land for constructing a cattle shed and burial ground for dead animals and another 5,000 sq mts of land for constructing a store to temporarily keep garbage. The infrastructure demanded was access to the proposed hub from four different directions.
Even as the sarpanch lamented that nobody was intimating any suggestions or issues to be discussed at the gram sabha despite making announcements 10 days before the gram sabha, two former sarpanchas raised up the issue of the highway passing through the village.
The Sarpanch once again had to reply that the government authorities including the PWD had claimed ignorance over the issue. “Even the PWD is not in a position to tell us whether we have a state highway or a major district road passing through our village,” he said.
The names of persons who would be receiving compensation from the government for their land acquired for the double tracking of railway line and constructing a rail over bridge in the village were read out. Land surveyed under 16 different survey numbers has been acquired and the owners will totally receive Rs 4,35,50,700 as compensation.
The gram sabha that had only 8 of the 12 panchas present approved a Rs 77.80 lakh budget of which Rs 17.20 lakhs were sought to be raised by the panchayat through various taxes.
The gram sabha was attended by around 50 villagers.
