MARGAO: Acting on a complaint, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department’s flying squad inspected the site and confirmed the illegal land filling at Rachol.
It is pertinent to note that an alleged illegal filling of agricultural land in the village has raised concerns with a complainant Jose Coelho urging the authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly and take appropriate action to remove the mud.
The complainant has sent a letter to the South Goa District Collector and has also called upon the Town and Country Planning authorities seeking immediate action to remove the mud encroaching upon the agricultural area.
The urgency conveyed in the demand underscores the seriousness of the situation and the need for swift intervention to prevent further damage to the agricultural land. In his complaint, Jose Coelho asserted that the land was previously under cultivation, but the tenant concerned has ceased all agricultural activities, rendering the field barren. He emphasized that the aforementioned land is designated as agricultural land, and therefore, any filling activity is prohibited by law.
The complainant has demanded that the party concerned be directed to remove all the deposited mud from the low-lying area and restore the land to its original status.
Upon receiving the complaint, a TCP flying squad inspected the site and confirmed the illegal land filling. Speaking to O Heraldo, Jiva Velip of the flying squad confirmed that an inspection report has been submitted to higher officials for further action. “At the time of inspection, we found several pieces of evidence confirming the illegalities. The next step in the procedure will be issuing a show cause notice to the party concerned,” Velip said.
“After the incident was brought to our attention, we promptly visited the site and discovered illegal land filling in the low-lying area, which exceeds a depth of more than one metre from the level of the road,” he informed.
