Stop being a mute spectator, provide light to Goans this Diwali: GBA to CM

Demands revocation of all clearances for the Bhutani Infra project; warns Goa faces a dark future if land conversions and regulatory bypasses persist
Stop being a mute spectator, provide 
light to Goans this Diwali: GBA to CM
Published on

Team Herald

PANJIM: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) has demanded revocation of all clearances granted to the ‘ill-conceived’ Bhutani Infra project immediately, on grounds of non-compliance and misrepresented information.

The GBA also demanded that the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) must recall the technical clearances, while the Director of Panchayats must overturn the misdirected approvals given by the Sancoale Village Panchayat on the same grounds.

The GBA further demanded that the Chief Minister stop being a mute spectator and step in to listen to the people and provide light to the Goans this Diwali, and prove clearly to the people that the Chief Minister is on the side of justice.

GBA convenor Sabina Martins said, “Bhutani Infra project in Survey No. 257/1 of Sancoale exposes the complete breakdown of governance with respect to irregular land conversions and bypassing of building regulations. Collusion of departments, apathy, ignorance and corruption are threatening villages with mega project clearances.”

“This Diwali there are no lights in the house of Premanand Naik, the town planners at Mormugao Planning and Development Authority along with the ministers have taken all the light for themselves. Indeed there will be no light for Goa if this game of land conversions and bypassing of building regulations continue,” Martins said.

GBA secretary Reboni Saha said, "Premanand Naik is on a hunger strike to remind us that this is a humanitarian issue. It is a gross violation of our planning rights and the GBA demands that licences/clearances for this ill-conceived project be revoked. There is enough evidence of irregularities for all the so-called experts and board members to reach that conclusion.”

The GBA has further demanded that the Sancoale Village Panchayat must stop being a rubber stamp under the excuse of not being ‘technical’. The skipping of protocol across departments for this project is astounding, and should be caught by the panchayat, whose very minimum requirement should be to read and write.

"To clear construction of 85,886 sq mts and 685 pools, where pools alone cover more than an acre in a water stressed village is like allowing a hole to be punched into a life-raft; for what consideration? This Bhutani Infra project is a mega project with mega violations that everyone can see except the departments involved, who still try to obfuscate the issue,” the GBA stated.

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