Govt bulldozes panchayat’s stop-work order while bulldozers keep destroying priceless trees

Team Herald

PANJIM: Alleging that the Mopa link road work is carried out despite the Warkhand-Nagzar Village Panchayat issuing a stop work notice, the local body on Wednesday threatened to move the National Green Tribunal (NGT), if the authorities failed to follow Panchayat order.

Briefing media persons after meeting the North Goa Collector, Warkhand-Nagzar sarpanch Sanjay Tulaskar said, “The Mopa link road work is being carried out despite the panchayat issuing a stop work notice. We will approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT), if they fail to follow our order.”

“We were called by the North Goa Collectorate office in Panjim not to find a solution to our problem. It was not an interaction but was more of a monologue,” claimed the Mopa link road affected farmers.

They said, “The Collector refused to listen to our grievances and dominated the conversation. He said not even the High Court will listen to the plea of the local body since the contractor of Mopa link road has done the construction following the legal procedure”.

Ankush Arawlekar, a farmer said they are annoyed with the contractor for continuing the construction work of Mopa link road despite the panchayat issuing a stop-work order.

Expressing grief over the cutting of trees, Ankush said, “The cashew and mango trees have just begun to bloom with flowers. They axed all the fruit-bearing trees. They should have waited at least till the time of harvesting”.

Advocate Jitendra Gaonkar said, “The decision regarding whether to approach the Apex Court or not will be taken based on the reply received from the North Goa Collector. We have challenged the procedure of link road construction, the petition of which is pending in the High Court.”

Advocate Prasad Shahapurkar asked, “If the government is going as per law and order and claiming that link road construction is legal, then why is the government not speaking clearly about the plans of various constructions being carried out in the Mopa airport vicinity. What makes them use the police force and cut the trees? Imposing the decision forcefully by not taking the local body into consideration gives a clear indication of conspiracy”.

He said the government officials are misusing their power by suppressing the voices of the locals.

In view of this, the North Goa Collector has assured the farmers to reply to the stop-work order.

It may be recalled that the Warkhand-Nagzar VP on Thursday had issued a show-cause notice along with the stop-work order to the contractor engaged in the Mopa link road construction.