MARGAO: Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the 160-odd allegedly illegal houses in Davorlim and has asked the concerned authorities to take immediate action on this issue.
“Following a complaint about approximately 160 illegal houses in Davorlim, South Goa, I have directed the Chief Town Planner to take immediate action on the violations of the illegal structures. Details of the same will be sent to the government, post a review of the same. Strict
action will be taken by the government and such illegalities will not be tolerated,” said Rane, who is also Urban Development Minister.
It may be recalled that the Davorlim-Dicarpale panchayat had rejected nearly 165 applications filed by locals seeking house numbers, on grounds that those houses do not have proper documents. According to the panchayat, the said houses were built on agricultural fields and did not possess proper sale deeds or conversion documents. In addition, a few houses also came with disputes, wherein people claiming to be the owners of the plots have objected to the issue of house numbers to the applicants.
The situation had gotten tense after former minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar had demanded that the applicants be given approval for house numbers as under the new law, the panchayat can issue house numbers even if the house was built without legal procedure.
