MARGAO: The Curtorim gram sabha on Sunday witnessed intense debates over the Regional Plan 2021, MLA funds and garbage dumping menace along the Leprosy Hospital Road.
The villagers highlighted the issue of Kerala floods and questioned the panchayat over the action that will be taken over the Regional Plan 2021. There was confusion over whether the RP 2021 was in for or whether it is still in abeyance. One villager named Peter stated, “We have to look into it or else we will have the same problems faced by Kerala today. The issue has been raised at every gram sabha but nothing has happened.” The villagers questioned the status of the regional plan sent by the village committee.
The second issue which was debated was the utilisation of funds given by the government to the MLA. Villagers brought to the notice of the Panchayat members that Rs 18 crore have been sanctioned to the MLA so they wanted to know how much is allocated for Curtorim village. After a long discussion, the villagers asked the panchayat to write to the MLA to find out what are the projects and works proposed for the village
One villager Santan Fernandes raised the issue of garbage being disposed at the Leprosy Hospital in Curtorim. The villagers informed the panchayat that the garbage has increase and it needs to be cleaned and monitored continuously. The panchayat informed that the location has an area of more than 1 lakh sq.mts area and is isolated, and therefore it is difficult to catch people who throw garbage there. Santan informed that the Goa Biodiversity Chairman had visited the site and he had said that there are medicinal plants and other valuable fauna, and thus it must be proposed to declare the site as a biodiversity heritage site.
Another villager Manual Fernandes stated that some people are trying to cut the trees inside the property which includes teak trees. “Right now the health department is not interested in maintaining it”, he said. He also informed that young boys go inside to have drugs and that even college couples go inside the property.
Santan also placed a proposal for the Panchayat to apply for Mutation of all the open spaces which were donated to the Panchayat. Another issue that was raised by a few villagers of a ward was regarding firecrackers during Virsarjan. However, the Gramsabha directed the villagers to approach the Pollution Control Board since such this issue might create unwanted conflict in the village.
