CARMONA: Carmona villagers, at the meeting organised by the Village Committee on Sunday, demanded the resignation of Deputy Sarpanch Orlando Da Silva on the grounds that the panchayat had failed to take cognizance of the discrepancies in Raheja’s application for a construction licence.
VC spokesperson Socorro Miranda also read out a memorandum that contained the villagers’ objections to granting the construction licence and a list of 12 irregularities that the TCP and panchayat had committed while approving the project. The memorandum will be submitted to the authorities, including the panchayat.
At the meeting, which ran for three-and-a-half hours, the VC vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court and pointed out that it had listed the irregularities based on legal and technical advice from social activists.
Miranda explained that the sanad issued to the Rahejas in 2007 had lapsed, and as such, the new sanad should have been obtained to get technical clearances.
Carmona VC members also alleged that there were discrepancies in the permissible FAR and there were violations of the TCP regulations regarding the amalgamation of sub-division plots. They claimed that it had been done to solve earlier hurdles in getting TCP permissions.
They also alleged that despite CRZ Rules prohibiting development, Rahejas had planned recreational facilities in open spaces that fell in the no-development zone as per the CRZ 2011 notification.
The biggest grievance expressed by the VC was how the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (GSEIAA), in February 2015, had granted the Environment Impact Report that was needed for environment clearances although it was contradictory to their report in June 2011, which rejected environmental clearances.
The VC showed copies of both reports and pointed out that the 2015 report stated that there was no issue since the property was bought in 2008, while the 2011 report spoke about large-scale illegal excavation amounting to reclamation of land on the banks of River Sal, including the destruction of mangroves.
They also pointed out that the EIA 2011 had ordered Rahejas to replant five times the number of trees it had destroyed and provide documentary evidence of the same. They stated that the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department should not have given any clearance, as Rahejas did not have any evidence of growing new plants in the area.
The critical issue at the meeting was that of the six-metre access road. Villagers questioned why the TCP had ignored a file noting by former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar directing not to approve any project based on ‘imaginary’ proposed roads. They cited how the TCP had refused to grant technical clearances to the locals until a ten-metre wide access road be shown in their plan. They claimed that TCP had blatantly overlooked the same for Rahejas.
Activist Fr Eremito Rebello said the panchas had no alternative but to resign given that they could not support the fight against Rahejas. He also reminded the panchayat that it did not own Carmona, and hence, couldn’t bypass the real stakeholders, i.e. the villagers.
Cavelossim activist Iris Passanha alleged that there were irregularities with the CRZ norms, which were grounds for the file to be rejected outright. He also recalled how Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) members had been issued non-bailable warrants by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the issue.
The charged-up meeting witnessed an unruly scene when two attendees tried to stop a speaker from referring to Dy Sarpanch Orlando’s challenge to the public to prove that he had taken “a cup of tea or coffee, leave aside Re 1 from Rahejas”. One of them tried to assault the speaker. A senior citizen stepped in and asked the duo to leave the meeting venue. Police had to later intervene.
Villagers also complained about infrastructure issues, such as inadequate water and power supply. A senior citizen added that a cross was not shown on Rahejas’ site plan, while the VC alleged that this was just one instance of something being hidden to give clearances to Rahejas.
Activists from Seraulim, Colva, Cansaulim, Cavelossim, Varca, Cuncolim and Margao were present for the meeting. A Carmona-based priest currently residing in New Delhi was also present. Activist Sudeep Dalvi announced that the ‘Save Tiracol’ musical group would be changing its name to ‘Save Carmona’.
The VC also vowed to approach village groups across Salcete and hold a mega public meeting at Lohia Maidan. They stressed that it was not just a fight for Carmona, but a united fight for Goa.
