Ask if it’s a fraud, how is the present managing panel collecting parking fees?
TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CALANGUTE: Former Calangute Communidade president Agnelo Lobo and ex-attorney Anthony D’Souza on Friday lashed out at the present managing committee for challenging their decision to give NOC to the Calangute panchayat for parking facilities.
Briefing media persons, D’Souza said: “We had given various NOCs like water tank, sewage treatment plant, garbage treatment plant, Calangute-Baga parking and road widening near St Anthony’s Chapel.”
“The NOCs were given in the interest of Calangute villagers and community at large. However, the present managing committee, headed by Agostinho Proenca and Suhas Naik, has been claiming the NOC given for Calangute-Baga was a fraud for reasons best known to them,” said D’Souza.
“If the NOC given by us was a fraud, then how are they making money from it by collecting parking fees despite the matter being sub-judice? The managing committee themselves brought a stay over parking and have now given a contract for parking without vacating the stay,” they said.
“The matter now rests with the secretary (panchayats), Secretariat Porvorim, in terms of provisions of Section 178(2) of the Goa Panchayats Raj Act 1994 for further orders and it is yet to be decided,” added D’Souza and Lobo.
“Moreover, the communidade land cannot be misused for private or commercial use, but the Calangute Communidade has clearly expressed its intention of negotiations with a neighbouring resort for parking, while having recently started collecting parking fees in the land as per their letter. The managing committee has been claiming several irregularities by us but are presently holding the posts illegally and fraudulent means which is being challenged by us,” added the duo.
Responding to the allegations, Calangute Communidade President Agostinho Proenca said: “We have started collection parking fees with the permissions to keep a tab on encroachments and generate funds for the comunidade.”
“We had brought a stay on tender for parking and not on the plot. If Anthony D’Souza and Agnelo Lobo feel that we have done something wrong, then we are ready for any enquiry by government agencies. Our election was also challenged earlier, but the Administrative Tribunal ruled in our favour,” he said.
