MARGAO: Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco on Saturday pleaded with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to get the plan for Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp on leprosy hospital land nixed for good and instead get a hospital or educational institute on the said land which is also fortunately home to priceless biodiversity.
“Kurtodkars and people of Macasana will bless you abundantly. Please do not play with the emotions and sentiments of the people for whom the then Leprosy Hospital and its land is part of a great heritage,” he stated in the letter to the Chief Minister.
He brought to the notice of Chief Minister that a recent matter of grave concern has been caused by the clandestine move on the part of authorities to set up the IRB camp on the leprosy hospital land in Curtorim village. The covert move has once again shattered the mental peace of residents of Curtorim.
“The residents of Curtorim village have informed me that on July 21, the day when everyone was celebrating Eid-ul-Adha many trees were chopped near the cemetery of leprosy hospital by policemen, who were ferried to the site by the police bus.
He reminded the Chief Minister that on March 25 in reply to his calling attention motion on the said issue the government had given an assurance to MLAs cutting across party lines of taking people into confidence before taking any decision on this issue.
“Sorry to state that your assurance has remained only on paper and the people have not been taken into confidence at all. Let me remind you once again that the residents of Curtorim village and also surrounding village of Macasana have opposed the State government’s move to set up IRB camp on the one lakh square kilometre of land which was transferred to the Goa Police by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS),” he stated.
He mentioned that all the elected representatives of Curtorim and even in the special gram sabha of Curtorim Village Panchayat, the people had opposed tooth and nail the setting up of IRB camp on the leprosy hospital land. Even the elected representative, including him, was taken into confidence.
