PANJIM: The Assagao gram sabha, which convened on Sunday, witnessed heated discussions over the issue of road widening, with villagers expressing concern that the village's identity was at stake. Residents claimed the wide roads were being constructed solely to benefit developers of mega projects and to accommodate an increasing vehicular population.
Villagers argued that broader roads would not ease congestion, as the core problem lay in the lack of basic driving discipline. “This has to be rectified first,” they insisted.
Ranjit Parsekar called for the scrapping of the regional plan that mandates 25-metre-wide roads, asserting that any widening should be based on the will of the people and genuine necessity. He was supported by other villagers who referred to the situations in Siolim and Anjuna, where compound walls belonging to locals were allegedly demolished without proper orders. They stated they were satisfied with the existing roads and, if needed, widening should be done only after taking all stakeholders into confidence.
Another major concern raised was the fraudulent change of zoning of property bearing survey number 101/1, a Comunidade land parcel measuring approximately 2 lakh square metres. The transaction was suspected to involve a scam running into several crores of rupees.
Surendra Gaad urged the panchayat to preserve the village's green cover, stating that doing so would help maintain groundwater levels. He further warned against construction projects on the hills, which he said could lead to flooding and water scarcity in the villages.
The incomplete water treatment plant and recurring pipe bursts were also discussed. Villagers pointed out that the newly hot-mixed road was being repeatedly dug up due to faulty water supply infrastructure. Einstein Barretto called for a vigilance inquiry against the concerned officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) Water Supply division, alleging that substandard work had been carried out and that no one in the village had benefited from it.
The Sarpanch disclosed that a meeting would soon be held involving various departments and villagers to address these issues collectively.
Earlier in the meeting, the panchayat passed an annual budget of nearly Rs 4 crore. Suggestions were made to increase taxation where feasible in order to generate additional revenue for developmental works, especially in light of delays in the release of government funds.