TEAM HERALD
OLD GOA: Seeking to wash its hands off the 4G mobile tower issue that rocked the village over the past few months, Goa Velha Sarpanch Jagdish Bhobe stated that the panchayat issued the license based on the NOC issued by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
Speaking at the gram sabha on Sunday, Bhobe stated that the panchayat did not have any authority to issue licenses on its own for installation of mobile towers. “The government has authorized GSPCB to issue license in such cases, and since the mobile company got the okay from GSPCB, it was only imperative for the panchayat to grant NOC,” he said, adding that if the panchayat had refused to grant the NOC, the company could have filed a plea against the panchayat.
Speaking to the media later, Bhobe reiterated that if the GSPCB revoked the license, only then would the panchayat be in a position to withdraw its NOC.
“The villagers are agitating against the mobile tower on the grounds that it is a health hazard for the people. The panchayat is not the technical authority to decide whether mobile towers are a health hazard or not,” he said and opined that the panchayat could have acted if the objection was on legal grounds.
When questioned why the panchayat did not inform the villagers before granting the NOC to the towers, Bhobe stated that there was no rule which said the villagers should be informed.
The meat stall issue was also discussed at length at the gram sabha. John Viegas suggested that the panchayat should lease out the stall on a long-term basis instead of conducting an auction on yearly-basis.
“The meat stall, during the Portuguese regime, used to function as a slaughterhouse and used to meet the meat demands of many villages,” said Viegas, adding that currently due to lack of facilities, the person running the stall had been asked by health and FDA authorities to upgrade the facilities.
“The panchayat should invest money and make the necessary changes to the stall,” he said. He also suggested that instead of yearly auction for the meat stall, the panchayat should lease the stall on a long-term basis of not less than five years so that the meat supply was not affected.
Later, sarpanch Bhobe told Herald that the panchayat will upgrade the meat stall. But, on the question of granting the stall on lease, Bhobe said that the panchayat will take advice from the BDO.
