In a first of its kind, Comunidade of Chicalim leased out a barren Survey No 7/1 admeasuring 15000+ sq mts to a private educational society for setting up an educational institution. The Comunidade actually bent over to even acquire the construction sanad on behalf of the education society. The Comunidade of Chicalim granted construction licence on a tenanted field owned by the comunidade to a private entity. The field bearing Survey Number 7/2 which bears the name of a tenant one Nanu Naik, has an area of 1075 sq mts and is bounded by a property bearing Survey Number 7/1 on all sides.
Interestingly, although the Chicalim Comunidade had leased out the area bearing survey number 7/1 to a private educational society, both the Vasco PDA as well has the Chicalim Panchayat have allegedly granted the construction licence even for the tenanted plot (7/2).
What is even murkier is that Chicalim Panchayat allegedly passed the construction file during the Code of Conduct period of the 2017 Legislative Assembly Elections. The panchayat reportedly granted the construction licence on 23/2/2017 after passing the resolution on 16/2/2017. Also, the PDA had allegedly approved the plan during the same code of conduct on 16/1/2017.
The Collector of South Goa has not granted the conversion sanad for the tenanted field but has reportedly granted Sanad only for the plot bearing number 7/1. Interestingly, in the mamlatdar’s report which is enclosed in the sanad file, has made no mention of the tenanted paddy field at the centre of the property 7/1 and therefore borders the property 7/1 on the North, East, West and South boundary.
Interestingly, in the mamlatdar’s report, it is also mentioned that no lease has been granted by the comunidade on the property bearing Survey Number 7/1 even though the comunidade had allegedly leased the property more than a year prior to the mamlatdar’s report. Further, the sanad was allegedly taken by a representative of the comunidade whereas the construction licence is reportedly taken by the leaseholder.
Edwin Mascarenhas of Chicalim, who collected the documents under RTI, informed the Herald that there are several lapses in the procedure followed by the panchayat office, the Collector and the PDA. The construction work has already begun in the tenanted agriculture land bearing Survey Number 7/2 and the authorities have been dragging their feet to take any action. The site also was under scanner recently during the dengue outbreak in Chicalim.
