TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
PORVORIM: Residents of Corjuem-Aldona have stepped up their opposition to the proposed mobile tower at Corjuem, after pointing to various irregularities in the project.
They have now insisted that the NOC issued by Aldona Panchayat for the mobile tower be revoked immediately.
Speaking to Herald, some residents claimed that the issue of granting permission to the company to erect the tower was never discussed in the gram sabha.
“According to details sought under Right to Information (RTI), the company made an application to the Aldona Panchayat for grant of permanent permission on August 24, 2013, the company signed the Lease Agreement with the land owner on November 13, 2013 and a permanent NOC was issued by the panchayat on November 19, 2013,” informed a resident.
“The panchayat granted approval to the mobile tower in its meeting on January 15. The tower has been erected in orchard land and no Sanad has been obtained from the deputy collector. The Panchayat also confirmed in its reply to the RTI queries that the applicant did not submit No-Objection Certificates from the Public Works Department, Town and Country Planning department, Goa State Pollution Control Board and Health department. This only goes to prove that the mobile tower has been erected illegally in gross violation of the rules in force.”
“The Aldona gram sabha has given permission to mobile towers earlier and if the consent of the gram sabha was obtained and if company had completed all formalities, then there might not have been objections from people to this tower,” the resident added.
The residents informed that they have written to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the director of panchayats, senior town planner and director of Vigilance department to complain about the mobile tower.
“The Mae De Deus High school, which is barely 300 metres from the mobile tower, has also opposed the tower,” said another Korjuem resident.
