Angry residents of Maina-Succoro staged a road-blockade agitation at Maina on Saturday morning to protest against the illegal construction of six small houses in the forest area.
Anticipating tension at the site, Bardez Deputy Collector Sabaji Shetye, Porvorim Police Inspector Shivram Vaiganker along with a police team and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte rushed to the site.
The aggrieved residents complained to Shetye, PI Vaingankar and Khaunte that six small houses had been built deep in the forest area by cutting trees.
They also stated that some migrant workers had bought a piece of forestland from a local and had felled the trees without obtaining permission from forest department, before converting and registering the plots with the registrar’s office at Mapusa.
The residents also complained that the migrant workers had constructed small houses without the permission of authorities concerned. Suspecting the involvement of some members of the Socorro panchayat, the residents have demanded an enquiry in the matter.
“Cutting of trees and construction of houses in private forestland is illegal. It is also inexplicable how the Sub Registrar’s office registered these plots in forestland. I will take up this issue with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and will ask him to take necessary action against those involved in this act,” said Khaunte.
Khaunte later advised the agitating residents to file a complaint with the Porvorim police and requested Vaiganker to register the same.
Khaunte asked Shetye to demolish the illegal structures within 48 hours and Shetye assured that he would issue notices on Monday and would initiate necessary action.
