Team Herald
PERNEM: The villagers of Arambol have strongly opposed the process of land conversion of a hill and surrounding area at Bhatwadi, Arambol.
According to the villagers, three lakh square metres of land has been converted from hilly area to settlement. “How can this be a mistake to be corrected under Section 17 B of Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act,” former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar questioned.
The villagers have now constituted an action committee to fight land conversion and they have warned that if required they will approach the Court.
Addressing the villagers, Parsekar said that it cannot be a mistake to be corrected. He said that converting three lakh square metre of land to settlement will bring additional pressure on existing infrastructure like roads and water. “If the present habitation is 50,000 and if the proposed habitation is three lakh then the population will increase six times and this will put additional pressure on the existing infrastructure,” he said.
Adv Prasad Shahapurkar said that the land has been converted without the knowledge of the villagers. He said that they will file complaints to all the authorities and will also approach the local MLA Jit Arolkar demanding to take a lead and ensure that zone change is reversed and the land conversion of the hill is stopped.