Davorlim-Dicarpale playground to be handed over to church

MARGAO: A boisterous and adamant crowd at the Davorlim - Dicarpale gramsabha passed a resolution that the ground at Dicarpale would be transferred to the church organization after the panchayat takes its possession.

The ground was acquired by the panchayat around 20 years back but till date did not take possession of it as the file reportedly went missing in the Collector’s office when it was being shifted from the old building to the present Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex.

Outraged at the information some of the villagers pointed out that they had slogged to prepare the ground by breaking the rocks to make it into a playing field. They demanded that the ground be handed over to the church organization so that it could be maintained.

The villagers were agitated as people from other places including Vasco were using the ground while it was denied to the local boys and argued that since the locals had prepared the ground it should be given to the locals.

Former Sarpanch Tulshidas Dessai who tried to point out that the ground should be for all communities and cannot be given to any one particular community, was heckled and shouted down though some agreed with him and suggested that the ground be given to use for all communities even if it is handed over to the church organization.

Many villagers were also seen explaining the position to local panchayat member Herculano Niasso who pleaded with the people to first allow the panchayat to take possession of the ground.

Trouble first broke out when Poonam Prabhudessai resident of Dicarpale objected to the proposal mooted by Albert Rocha to hand over the ground to the church organization. Many villagers rushed to the dais where the panchayat members were seated and pandemonium reigned for quite some time.

The uproar was witnessed again when the issue of garbage management was raised with Marcelo Colaco, a villager, pointing out that the same issue was discussed at the last gramsabha and demanded to know what plans the panchayat has prepared. There was a demand that housing project should not be allowed till their plan doesn’t reflect the mini garbage treatment plant.

“It is people living in the buildings and mostly those living on rental basis who are throwing their garbage by the road side,” alleged the villagers with many people giving instances when they had caught such people.

Andrew Rebello also pointed out that the present panchayat body had issued occupancy certificate for a building that was illegally given construction license by the previous body and cautioned that waste from this building would go into the stream thus polluting the only spring in the village.

Sarpanch Bina Kulkarni asserted that the occupancy certificate was issued after an inspection and asked those present to lodge a complaint with the panchayat if they have any objections.

Andrew drew attention to the condition of the spring that is totally polluted and has even maggots in it. “This is the same spring where we used to bathe earlier and today its water is totally polluted,” he said urging the panchayat to use its funds to clean it and the panchayat agreed to desilt the spring.

The need of a threshing ground for farmers from Dicarpale also witnessed heated discussions and noisy scenes as former sarpanch Manuel Miranda argued that they have to take the stand that only one threshing ground be permitted in a village failing which the panchayat case before the Supreme Court would be weakened.

Finally it was decided to prepare a threshing ground in Dicarpale without calling it a threshing ground but instead terming it as parking lot or playground.