MARGAO: As the High Court (HC) hearing on the Margao kabrastan issue looms on April 1 , new concerns surface regarding the recent inspection report by government-authorised surveyors at Sonsoddo, raising questions about road access to the proposed site.
The report highlights the presence of an existing compound wall and tar road with gates on both ends within the land earmarked for the kabrastan. This discovery prompts inquiries into whether oversight occurred during the initiation of the land acquisition process 14 years ago by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC), the acquiring department, or the land acquisition officer.
Locals have asserted that the compound wall and tarred road with gates predate the council’s proposal for land acquisition, indicating that they have existed long before the council’s involvement in acquiring land for the kabrastan. Additionally, the locals have emphasised that the St Joaquim Chapel cemetery has been present at the site for two decades, raising doubts about the council’s approach to acquiring land for the kabrastan without considering a separate parcel for dedicated road access.
MMC officials have been maintaining silence on the inspection report’s findings, as the matter undergoes scrutiny in the HC. With the court overseeing the survey and demarcation of the Sonsoddo land, it appears that the civic body is putting the onus on the court to chart the course for road access to the acquired land for the proposed kabrastan.
It may be recalled that in the absence of dedicated access had prompted the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA)-appointed consultant to propose either a road on stilts or an elevator from the main road to the acquired land, each with its respective cost implications.
While MMC had not clarified if they had adequately inspected the site before proposing land acquisition, certain officials shifted the blame to the land acquisition officer for failing to consider ground realities before finalising the acquisition process.
