Team Herald
VASCO: Former Sancoale Sarpanch Premanand Naik has gone on an indefinite hunger strike outside the panchayat office demanding revocation of construction licence issued to M/s Parmesh Constructions Company Limited for the Bhutani Infra project.
Naik commenced his fast on Monday declaring that he will not withdraw his indefinite hunger strike till such time that the construction licence issued to Bhutani is revoked by the Sancoale Village Panchayat.
The construction licence was issued to the project proponent in March this year.
Opposition panchayat members and activists are strongly supporting Naik, a senior citizen. The people, activists and opposition panchayat members are waging an eight-month-long battle to cancel all the licences granted to Bhutani Infra due to the massive 660 luxury apartments and 40 private villas which will overwhelm the population and character of the village.
Speaking to mediapersons, Naik said that the project was proposed in Sancoale village at the same location in 2007 in the name of MTech when he was the sarpanch.
“The villagers were strongly against the project and we decided to stand with the villagers. With the support of then former Deputy Speaker late Simon D’Souza, we agitated against the project and approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa to get it scrapped.”
Naik said that the same project had now resurfaced in the name of M/s Parnesh Constructions Company Limited or Bhutani Infra. The people are against it and have protested and Cortalim MLA Anton Vas also supported the people by raising the issue in the Assembly.
He said that both, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the members in the Legislative Assembly that the project will be cancelled. But when he along with others met Rane, the latter denied his role and blamed another politician and when they met the Chief Minister, he too did the same by denying his role and blaming somebody else.
“This blame game will cost our Sancoale village dearly and destroy our environment if the project is approved at Savorfond.” said Naik.
Naik said that the Sancoale p'yat should have taken legal opinion before issuing the construction licence to Bhutani Infra and alleged that some panchayat members were hand-in-glove with the project proponent. This is evident as Bhutani Infra in its reply to show cause notice had mentioned that some p'yat members were harassing them and even asking for money thereby bringing shame to the panchayat. He reiterated that he will not withdraw his hunger strike till the panchayat revokes the construction licence issued to the Bhutani Infra.