Team Herald
VASCO: After Sancoale villagers stormed the panchayat’s fortnightly meeting in large numbers and demanded that the construction licence to Bhutani Infra project be withdrawn, the Sancoale village panchayat on Wednesday unanimously resolved to issue a show cause notice to M/s Parmesh Constructions Company Limited, asking it to comply with the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) regulations including submission of necessary documents and NOCs within seven days.
During the meeting, Opposition panchayat members Tulshidas Naik and Maurelio Carvalho said that the residents had demanded that a show cause notice similar to the one issued earlier by the MPDA be issued to the Bhutani Infra.
They pointed out that the proposed project at Savorfond was lacking several critical approvals, including permissions from a chartered surveyor for the slope, hill cutting permissions under Section 17A from the chief town planner (CTP), NOC from PWD water supply section and NOC from the naval flag officer due to the project's proximity to the Navy’s flying zone.
Additionally, the project reportedly did not meet the 10-metre wide road.
Earlier, the opposition panchayat members Tulshidas Naik, Maureleo Carvalho, Nidhi Naik and Maria Paulina Azavedo demanded voting by show of hand.
Carvalho said that ruling panchas did not agree to it but later agreed to issue a show cause notice to Bhutani Infra asking it to comply with MPDA requirements within seven days from the receipt of the notice, failing which the construction licence will be revoked.
Naik said that project’s fate could be decided by this process, with the potential revocation of the construction licence if the required approvals were not obtained.
Admitting that the matter was subjudice before the High Court, Naik said that previous approvals were granted based on conditional NOCs from the MPDA and Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, despite objections from him and others.
Carvalho alleged that the application by Bhutani Infra was discussed during the panchayat meeting held on March 11, 2024 and surprisingly the same day the panchayat issued the construction licence.
Ruling panchayat member Derick Peter Vales, in whose ward the proposed project falls, strongly refuted the allegations of residents and activists and claimed that the panchayat acted in the best interests of its villagers.
“We are with the people, and all 11 panchayat members agreed to issue the show cause notice to Bhutani. We have given Bhutani Infra seven day to produce the necessary documents, failing which the construction licence will be revoked,” Vales said.
He said that some villagers and activists were making baseless allegations.