Directorate of Technical Education yet to reply to objections
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Land acquisition proceedings to acquire 120 acres of land for the proposed NIT at Cuncolim have hit road block after delay in receiving comments from the acquiring department, Director of Technical Education, on the objections lodged by people against the project.
When Herald contacted the Director of Technical Education, Vivek Kamat, over the delay in filing comments on the objections before the land acquisition officer, he said that his office is seized of the matter.
Inquiries with the land acquisition office, Margao, however, revealed that its now over a month since the land acquisition officer had despatched the 28 objections received against the project for comments by the Director of Technical Education. And, officials informed the next stage of hearing individual parties cannot begin unless the acquiring department gives its comments on the objections.
That’s not all. Though the land acquisition office on August 1 had asked the acquiring department to submit the revised plan, including the survey plan, to the office the same has not been forthcoming from the Director of Technical Education till date. “We cannot start the process of hearing the 28 parties, who have lodged their objections to the land acquisition proposal without first receiving the comments from the acquiring department. Our office had despatched the objections to the technical education office in September, but till date have not received any comments on the objections,” remarked an official.
He said unless the acquiring department offers its comments on the objections, the land acquisition office cannot take up hearing of the objections, adding “unless each and every objector is given the opportunity for individual hearing, a report under section 5-A of the Land Acquisition Act cannot be prepared and sent to the government,” an official in the know maintained.
Sources informed that though the acquiring department had initially planned to acquire land admeasuring six lakh-odd sq mts, a proposal has been mooted to acquire land less than five lakh sq mts in view of demand raised by a section of land owners.
The NIT project is facing obstacles from several quarters, including the Cuncolim Municipal Council.
