MARGAO: The Loutolim gram sabha raised and discussed various issues yesterday. The meeting kicked off with resident Albert Pinheiro thanking the panchayat for complying with a previous resolution regarding agricultural land incorrectly shown as settlement area in the Regional Plan 2021 (RP2021).
Valerino Fernandes, followed up on a resolution passed in the October 2023 gram sabha regarding identifying and preserving open spaces within village limits. The Sarpanch responded that ward members had been instructed to verify and list out such open areas in their respective jurisdictions, but the compliance was still incomplete. He assured another reminder would be issued to expedite the process.
The need to protect open spaces has taken on urgency as the village panchayat lacks land to construct a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for solid waste management. As Pinheiro pointed out, the panchayat should retroactively seek information from developers who had obtained NOCs during the current tenure about any open spaces on their project sites.
Pinheiro urged the panchayat to be vigilant about development adhering to Regional Plan zoning regulations, expressing concern over rampant construction activity occurring once technical approvals are obtained.
Another resident, Mario Cruz, raised the issue of households being overcharged for electricity, which the panchayat assured would be looked into. However, one of the most impassioned discussions emerged from farmers who aired their grievances about tenancy rights over khazans fields and the alleged roadblocks they face from the comunidade in getting tenancies transferred despite their forefathers names being listed in revenue records.
