VASCO: Residents of Bamborda-Verna have strongly opposed the construction of a project near Our Lady of Rosary Chapel.
The residents are angered with excavation of mud which has exposed the main water pipeline which passes across, creating fear in the minds of the people that during monsoon the excavation of mud will lead to landslide which could damage the chapel.
The residents also alleged that if there is a landslide during the monsoon, the main water pipeline will also be damaged and termed the excavation of mud as hill cutting.
Rosary Chapel Committee President Manuel Fernandes on January 12, filed a complaint with Verna Panchayat alleging that major hill cutting was going on the right side of the chapel.
Acting on the complaint, the panchayat issued a stop work notice directing the contractor to stop the work immediately until further orders and further ordered the contractor to produce the property documents/licence/NOC to the panchayat office.
Speaking to Herald, Fernandes said despite the stop work notice, the contractor went ahead with the work, forcing the chapel committee to file a complaint with Verna police. “The police officer handling the case failed to register an FIR against the contractor,” he said.
“The workers working at the construction site dirty the area, which causes a big problem for people going for mass to the chapel. Once the building is completed which houses almost 20 flats, it will hamper the chapel activities,” said Fernandes.
“The panchayat had twice denied permission for the construction and when the matter was raised in the gram sabha, the panchayat was directed not to give permission for the construction of the multi-dwelling project,” he added.
When Verna Sarpanch Piadade Moniz was contacted and asked on what basis the panchayat had issued permission to the contractor when the panchayat and gram sabha had denied these permission, Moniz said shot back saying, “We have not given them any permission. It was the Directorate of Panchayats which issued the permission,” stated Moniz.
When informed that the Director of Panchayats cannot issue permission and it was the panchayat which has to issue the permission, Moniz failed to reply.
However, when Panchayat Secretary Sachin Naik sensed that Moniz’s statement was not correct, he intervened and said that the contractor obtained the permission through the court.
Naik informed that the panchayat had twice denied permission to the builder based on the objection of the villagers. “When the matter was raised in the gram sabha, the gram sabha refused to give permission to the contractor, due to which the builder approached the court,” informed Naik.
“The court dismissed the panchayat’s plea and ruled in favour of the builder, due to which we were forced to grant necessary permission,” he said.
Speaking to Herald, the villagers claimed that the panchayat advocate did not represent the case properly in the court and alleged that the advocate was hand in gloves with the builder.
When asked why the advocate did not bring to the notice of the court the objection from the gram sabha to the construction of the multi-level dwelling in close vicinity of the chapel, Naik failed to give a satisfactory reply.
When it was further brought to his notice the allegations of the villagers that the panchayat advocate failed to present the case to the court, Naik said the panchayat had decided to discontinue the services of the advocate, but could not do so.
