Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) has demanded that the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) must deregister the controversial Bhutani Infra project at Sancoale due to major irregularities.
The GBA has contended that unless the project is de-registered immediately, countless investors would be misled into investing.
As of November, the housing project had already drawn 220 hopefuls, they said.
In a letter to the RERA Goa, the GBA has asked the authority to take "suo motu cognisance of the serious transgressions of the Bhutani project in survey No. 257/1 at Savorfond, Sancoale and de-register the same and to prevent hapless purchasers investing in what is a clearly violative project."
The GBA convenor Sabina Martins said, "There are glaring irregularities with respect to local regulations, along with contested/questionable license and environmental issues regarding non-developable hill slopes and forests."
Earlier this year, two PILs have been filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa challenging development and construction permissions, while another PIL challenges the validity of a gram sevak functioning as a panchayat secretary to sign off the construction licence.
"The Sancoale gram sabha had also rejected the development since the project proponent had not obtained environmental clearance, and to declare all licences as null and void. The EC by the MoEF&CCF was a pre-requisite for the purpose of technical clearance by the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) or the construction licence by the village panchayat," Martins said.
In spite of this the MPDA had issued technical licence for the project while the panchayat too granted construction licence, Martins said.
Also as many as 685 swimming pools covering an area of 4,217 sq mts is proposed in a water stressed village. The GBA stated that contours obtained by them indicated that the site was on non-developable slopes.
The GBA has further pointed that the road access was less than required 10 metres and the land was earlier identified as private forest by the Araujo Committee in its final report in 2018.
"No permissions have been given for water and electricity connection to the proposed project," Martins pointed out.
The GBA has appealed to the RERA to act immediately in public interest and to restore confidence in its ethics and workings.