Team Herald
PANJIM: After Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asked the media to find out who converted the land and gave permissions to the Bhutani project at Sancoale, Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane has now jumped into the fray by asking Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) to do verification, even as the latter had raised 37 objections which were overruled by the TCP Department.
As far the Chief Minister is concerned, all crucial permissions, conversions and development licences for the project was done by his government.
O Heraldo spoke to some of the activists and Sancoale residents, who are vehemently opposing the project, fearing that the rampant hill cutting would cause destruction in the village.
Political commentator Trajano D'Mello said, "TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane's statement in which he has referred the matter of Bhutani to MPDA, is just an eyewash. The reported observations made by the MPDA were overruled by the TCP Department. The move of passing the buck is to give the controversial project proponent to create his defences."
Activist Swapnesh Sherlekar said, “What TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane is saying in hotchpotch. He is passing the buck. Rane should make MPDA findings on Bhutani project public, before decided by the TCP Board. We are closely watching this matter.”
Peter D'Souza from Sancoale said, “Today TCP Minister is giving the same statement that he gave a week ago. It is very simple. How can a village panchayat give a licence for construction on a slope of a hill? How can you give construction permission to a project which is in C 1 zone in a panchayat."
"Commercial zones are not allowed in village panchayat. The minister is just doing a cover up of wrongdoings committed by his department. He is not giving a proper answer. He is not giving the correct picture. Rane is putting pressure on MPDA for something over which the MPDA has no control. He is just passing the buck," D'Souza said.
Sancoale panchayat member Tulshidas Naik said, “Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho is fully involved in this episode. Why is he not saying that the Sancoale panchayat has done a mistake by issuing construction licence to the project same day. The Panchayat Secretary should be pulled up. Mauvin is not uttering a word about the project."
Rane has power to scrap permissions given to Bhutani Infra project: Sherlekar
Team Herald
PANJIM: Activist Swapnesh Sherlekar has stated that Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane has power to revoke the permissions given to the `controversial’ Bhutani Infra project at Sancoale since the area was earlier declared as private forest by the Araujo Committee.
Also the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed all the State governments to review private forest. “If Rane can do it i.e. if he can review the private forest and restore it then no builder will be able to carry out construction on such lands,” Sherlerkar said.
Posting a video on social media, Sherlekar said that conversion sanad was issued to the project proponent again on November 8, 2023.
According to Sherlekar, development permission was granted to the project in February 2024. One of the conditions in the development permission was that in case of any cutting of sloppy land or filling of low-lying land beyond permissible limit, prior permission of the Chief Town Planner shall be obtained before the commencement of the work as per provision of Section 17 of Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act.