MARGAO: Government officials realized that somebody had encroached upon government land at Seraulim when they went to demarcate the place where the proposed rail underpass is to be constructed in the village.
In the year 1991 the government had acquired around 4400 square metres of land at Tolloi in ward No 3 of the village for constructing a road and an underpass. This morning officials of the Public Works Department, Deputy Collector and the Konkan Railway Corporation went to demarcate the land. Six of the seven panchayat members along with local MLA Churchill Alemao’s son Savio Alemao were also present.
To their shock it was found that Rupesh Lotlikar and his brother who have constructed a pucca house in place of the hut that was belonging to their mother, had encroached upon the land acquired by the government.
Except for the area occupied by the Lotlikar’s the rest of the area including the government acquired land is overrun with wild growth due to which the officials were finding it difficult to measure the area.
PWD engineers present opined that one room of the house that has encroached into government land may have to be demolished along with the temporary compound.
The Konkan Railway Corporation proposes to construct a double lane underpass each of which will be 6 mts wide and the slab will be 13 mts long while the actual underpass will be around 25 mts long.
Seraulim Sarpanch Domnick Fernandes who was also present assured that the panchayat has not given any construction licence to construct the house that has encroached upon government land and is close to the railway tracks in contravention of railway rule of no development within 20 mts of the land next to railway tracks.
