MARGAO: Raia locals on Sunday stopped construction of road by retired police officials to a property acquired by them to construct a housing colony for police personnel.
Earlier on two occasions, the same retired police personnel had tried to prepare the road which was stopped by the villagers.
The police personnel society has purchased around 25,000 square metres of land in Raia where a housing colony for police personnel sought to be constructed. However, as the access to the property is through a three-metre wide road, the property cannot be developed as per the TCP rules.
The property adjacent to the existing road belongs to persons who are not living in Goa and taking advantage of that, the retired police personnel only on a holiday are trying to build a road through this property thus creating a 6 mt wide road leading to their property.
Former Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes asked why the retired police officials decided to work only on a holiday, if they have got all permissions and licences as they claim. Meanwhile, the villagers have also questioned Sarpanch Esmeralda Gomes’ role in this issue.
As one villager pointed out at the gram sabha held last Sunday the sarpanch had said that she was with the people when this matter was raised. However, he said that despite promising to come to the site on Sunday, she failed to turn up.
The villagers were agitated today as a JCB along with around 20 labourers had gathered at the place where the road was sought to be prepared by removing soil and soling it with rubbles and the whole activity was being supervised by around 15 retired police personnel along with some women.
As the villagers threatened to block the main Margao-Ponda road, Maina Curtorim police arrived and asked the retired police personnel to stop their work and they were directed to approach the panchayat with all their licences and permissions.
