GRB ready to rehabilitate slum

The Goa Rehabilitation Board (GRB) is ready to rehabilitate the Camrabhat slum dwellers provided the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) hands over the land to them. The proposal has been pending with the civic body since 2014-15 when the BJP-backed Mayor Shubham Chodankar was holding the reigns. With the area belonging to the corporation, local governing body, it would be interesting to see whether the recently passed Ordinance on regularization of unauthorised structures would be applicable to it. Large numbers of illegal shanties have come up in the area with blessing of politicians who use them as vote bank. The area is prone to floods and gets submerged during monsoons. State former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had mooted a proposal to rehabilitate the dwellers living in extremely unhygienic conditions. A budgetary provision in this regard has also been made. “A proposal was sent to the City Corporation to hand over the land to the Board for rehabilitation, long time back. It was during Shubham Chodankar’s tenure. But they replied saying rehabilitation would be undertaken by them,” GRB chairman Keshav Chandra told Herald. “Apparently, CCP had even received some funds under JNNURM, if I am not wrong,” he added. Prabhu said that even after several reminders, the Corporation has completely ignored the proposal. “We are ready to rehabilitate even now let them hand over the area to us,” he stated. When contacted, CCP Commissioner Deepak Dessai said he is not aware about the proposal and would find it out. Chodankar was not available for his comment. It is learnt that the CCP has rented out its municipal quarters to generate revenue to its coffers. BJP Taleigao Mandal president Dattaprasad Naik said that failure of CCP to hand over the land to GRB has hampered the entire process. Moreover, he said that Taleigao village panchayat has granted permission for more illegal shanties. “The illegalities at Camrabhat continue with blessings of local MLA Jennifer Monserrate. I still remember that she had written a letter to the deputy collector to defer the site inspection of the area as directed by Collector to ascertain the illegal units,” he said. Naik has now approached Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to constitute a committee to conduct survey identifying the illegal structures.