BASTORA: Bastora locals are irked over the alleged filling of low-lying agricultural fields in the village. Besides this, several other cases have been reported across Bardez taluka.
It may be recalled that recently around 25 locals stopped two trucks from dumping debris into a comunidade field at Bastora near a hotel on late Friday night. These citizens caught the truck driver while dumping mud and construction material into an open field at around 11 pm and informed the police.
Last year, in July, there were attempts to fill the same field to convert it into an orchard land. The comunidade had demanded an FIR be registered as the act committed was contravention of Sec 17(A) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1994 and the rules and regulations made there under.
Bastora sarpanch Savio Martins informed Herald that they are helpless in terms of the land filling carried out in the fields at Bastora as it is the TCP who has to act in this matter.
“We can only act as per the notice sent to the panchayat in regards to filling matters reported. I think the law for filling of fields is very lenient and hence people are taking things for granted. There should be hefty fines and punishment for violators. Trucks found dumping mud in fields should be confiscated and kept in police custody for more days,” Savio said.
