Team Herald
CURCHOREM: Quepem Municipal Council members unanimously opposed the proposal of Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) for affordable housing under Pradan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urabn (PMAY) dung the council meeting held on Tuesday.
Councillor Philu D’Costa, who vigorously opposed the proposal, said that proposal sent by GSUDA to construct houses/flats under PMAY in partnership with Quepem Municipal Council in Deao in Quepem is not acceptable to them as it would put extra burden and strain on local essential services including water, electricity and health.
According to D’Costa, GSUDA purchased around 2.95 lakh square meters land at Quepem and wanted to build around 1856 houses including 92 buildings of 16 flats each, one building with 12 flats and 372 individual cottages for low income groups.
“If we take one flat occupied by family of husband and wife with their two children around 7000 people would be added in Quepem under municipal jurisdiction. According to me, there are no Goans who do not have their own house,” D’Çosta said and demanded to know why so many houses/flats are required and that is also at one place in Quepem when the current population is not more than 20,000 in Quepem.
“There are around 3 to 4 thousand houses in entire Quepem town and the government is planning to build 1856 houses/flats at one place, for whom they are required?” asked D’Costa and said that they will not allow the project in any circumstance in Quepem.
When contacted, Quepem MLA Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar said that he does not have much idea of it. “The councillors informed me only today about the project and therefore I required some time to look in to it,” Kavlekar said.
