Team Herald
Vasco: Even as top sources at the Town and Country Planning Department confirmed the excavation at Bogmalo had no permissions from them, the Navy however decided to get tough and stopped it. In an unprecedented move armed personnel of the navy moved in and stopped the work on Wednesday. The local administration had taken up the complaints, started hearing them and also stopped the work but the machines kept returning to the site repeatedly.
The Flag Officer of Goa Area of the Navy has denounced the work in the past and told that the work has no permission from them or any authority. The Navy however has not been willing to come on record on this matter after that and wasn’t available for comments on this matter till late night. The work of excavation is being carried out by the local Deputy Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav who has his own side of the story to tell. Yadav says “The excavation on the plot is for leveling the land for now. We have all the permissions. If the Navy feels it is not allowed to develop on this land they should propose to us and acquire this land once and for all. The people owning this piece of land have already expressed their displeasure at losing valuable money and they can breathe easy if the Navy acquires it and cordons it off” said Kamla Prasad Yadav.
The Town and Country Planner Rajesh Naik who Herald contacted did not comment on this matter however highly placed sources at the TCP told that this excavation has no permission and the officials in charge have asked the Mormugoa PDA to check on the validity of the work. The TCP has reportedly also prepared to act against this work.
The police claimed they had not been called regarding any incident of Navy officials coming and stopping the work on Wednesday but said they have gone on earlier occasions when called.
The Deputy Collector of Mormugao Mahadev Arondekar said there are already two complaints one of which is of the Navy against the excavation and he has heard the same. “I have asked the Mamlatdar and Talathi to check on this complaint and asked to stop the work” he told. Now, the Chicalim Panchayat who has a major role to play in this episode has washed off its hands saying that if there are permissions from competent departments they can’t stop it. It will be interesting to see the progress of this case now as alleged political involvement has also been making rounds since the work started.
