MARGAO: The work on survey and demarcation of Margao’s contentious kabrastan site will begin on March 14, Thursday.
This is as per the submission given by Advocate General (AG) Devidas Pangam before the Bombay High Court (HC) at Goa last week.
During that hearing, the HC made an observation that while the land had been acquired for the kabrastan, it wasn’t established for one reason or another. The Goa bench of the HC further recommended that the survey be done in the presence of the Borda chapel officials as well as the Raia Church Fabrica members, which the court opined would help in expeditiously sorting out the issues.
Following this, directions were also issued by the HC for notice to be sent to the Fabrica members.
During that hearing, the counsel for the Chaplain of the St Joaquim Chapel in Borda, senior adv J E Coelho Pereira informed the HC that there was apprehension over the possibility of the Church property being used as an access for the Kabrastan. He also pointed out that there is access to the property that links directly to the main road.
However, the AG clarified that the question of seeking access through the chapel property for the kabrastan does not arise and that the only intention of the surveyors was to go through the chapel property only for carrying out an effective survey. He further explained the provisions of the Land Revenue Code and the city survey rules, where it allows the authorised surveyors to enter the property for the limited purpose of undertaking surveys. The AG also stated that this was conveyed to the Chaplain and Chapel’s committee members.
Pereira said the government’s surveyors would not be prevented from undertaking the survey, and if necessary, going through the chapel’s property.
“Since the government has already made it clear that there is no question of access over the chapel’s property for the kabrastan, we expect that all parties, Including the chapel or the church of Raia, should render full cooperation to the government for purposes of survey and demarcation. Such survey and demarcation are necessary for the implementation of the court’s orders,” the bench added.
It may be recalled that before this hearing, notices had been issued by the HC to the Chaplain following the AG’s then submission that the Goa State Urban Deve-
lopment Agency’s (GSUDA) consultant, officials and others were obstructed by the chapel committee from gaining access to the kabrastan site.
