VASCO: The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) will write to the authorities to relax the restriction in the buffer zone of Maimolem Lake, which is already declared as urban wetland.
This was decided during the special council meeting.
After the meeting, Mormugao chairperson Girish Borker said that the meeting mainly discuss the buffer zone issue as there are several houses situated around the Maimolem Lake, which has now been declared as wetland by the Goa State Biodiversity Board. He said that besides houses, many people residing there, own land and they will face difficulties to construct houses whenever they wish to construct them due to buffer zone.
The council passed a resolution and decided to write to the authorities concerned to relax the restrictions in the buffer zone so that the people owning houses or those owning land are not affected, Borker said.
The chairperson said that the special meeting discussed the proposal for a NOC submitted by the Indian Navy for a huge ship structure on the Hutatma Chowk. Borker said that he along with the chief officer and the Mormugao Deputy Collector inspected that area and found that the space was insufficient and it will not be seen due to the grown trees in the area.
He said that the municipality has now given them another location but the Indian Navy appeared to be not interested in the new area. During the meeting, the councillors pointed out that the Navy authorities had written to the deputy collector without informing the municipal council and were of the firm opinion that the residents should be taken into confidence.
The councillors were also of the opinion that if the Navy ship was installed at a particular location, then the Navy could even claim right on the land. There the matter was deferred, Borker said.
