Villagers of Merces are demanding a master plan for their village and also demand a local body to stop issuing permissions to multi storey residential complexes in the village.
Villagers have also demanded that a study be carried out on the capacity of the village as per its existing size and resources. People also want that the two lakes in the village be beautified. This, they said, can be a very good tourist attraction at the outskirts of capital city.
Merces, which was once upon a time an agricultural village due to its fertile soil, now has half of the fields under water. This resulted are the filling of land to create EDC Patto plaza.
Sitakant Naik, a local, said that due to filling of land at Patto, the water has logged in into the fields forcing the people to give up agriculture. However, some locals say there are other resources and areas through which agriculture can get a boost.
“We have two beautiful lakes which can be developed and made a spot to attract tourists,” said Jose Joao, a resident of Merces.
Priyanka Prakash Naik, acting Sarpanch of Merces village panchayat, has said that the proposal of developing the lakes is very good and it will be taken up with the authorities. She said that the issues of the people and development of the village will be taken up after taking people of village into confidence.
Jose blamed the local panchayat for issuing rampant licences for constructions without carrying out a study on the capacity of the village.
Jose said that there is no proper width to the village roads, and the water supply is very poor. Frequent breakdown in electricity puts villagers into inconvenience most of the days. Additional houses in the form of residential apartments will add burden to the existing infrastructure, he added.
A group of villagers has also met the authorities demanding proper parking arrangements for the new court building which is coming in Merces.
Joe Lopes, a Merces resident, said that there is no sufficient place for parking in the Merces and it has been seen that even at the residential complexes the cars have been parked on roads.
“This is a pathetic state of panchayat who has issued the permission for such construction without studying the capacity of its infrastructure,” he said.
He said that the undeveloped lake in the village can be developed by acquiring the surrounding areas which can be of tourist attraction.
“The people who have left the agriculture due to saline water can at least benefit if the lake if developed for tourism,” Lopes said.
As Panjim, Taleigao and Miramar is saturated, the real estate developers have now started moving in the nearby villages like St Cruz and Merces. People are hesitant with the local bodies as licences for residential complexes have been given without studying the carrying capacity of the village.
