CALANGUTE: The Calangute panchayat has decided to hold a special gram sabha in August to oppose the outline development plan (ODP) for Calangute after villagers raised the demand at a gram sabha on Sunday.
“The ODP can only be prepared by taking the suggestions of the people and not decided by those sitting in the North Goa Planning And Development Authority (NGPDA) office,” villagers said demanding a gram sabha to discuss the ODP. Describing the new ODP as ‘total destruction’, villagers pointed out that most of the hills have been marked as settlement zones and fields have been marked as commercial in the new ODP despite objections from the people.
Agreeing with their demand, sarpanch Sequeira said he had opposed the previous ODP by filing a petition against the old ODP in 2017 but the petition had been subsequently withdrawn by the next panchayat body five years ago.
Villagers also called for the scrapping of the sewerage treatment plant at Baga following what they described as its ‘total failure’. Sequeira said panchayat members were shocked when they visited the STP some months ago and found that it was releasing untreated sewage into Baga river. “We immediately shut it down,” he said.
Raising the issue of dance bars, spas and massage parlours, villagers said these places which bring disrepute to Calangute continue to proliferate despite the panchayat promises to shut them down. “We’ve taken out morchas, notices have been issued, places sealed, but these activities are going on. They’re looting tourists in the dance bars and spas,” villagers said.
The sarpanch said the panchayat does not issue any licences to dance bars, but the owners misuse the permissions. “Recently we issued a closure notice to a spa, but they got a stay from the BDO,” he said.
A resolution to not allow any development in the 200 mtrs CRZ no-development zone was adopted along with a resolution to conserve the village bio-diversity, specially sand dunes and beach vegetation.
Villagers also urged the panchayat to take action against those parking their vehicles in no-parking zones. The sarpanch said they have appointed a contractor to tow away such vehicles.
