PANJIM: Even as rescue operations at the site of the building collapse at Chaudi in Canacona wide to a close, questions are now being asked about the permission issued by the Town and Country Planning department to the building.
Officials have said that the TCP department will begin a probe and an inquiry into what has happened especially whether the conditions based on which the permission were given have been flouted or whether the permission itself has been given without following the proper norms.
Locals who have been protesting the Ruby Residency project in the past, have said that not only was the gradient condition violated and permission was given for more than a permissible slope, the other question that has been raised is that of the width of the access road to the project.
“In a situation like this, with a narrow access road and not the mandatory six metre access road it becomes difficult for the large number of people as well as machinery to access the building site and can hamper rescue operations,” a local said adding how permission was given when the land was clearly unstable, it being sloping and soft needs to be questioned and officials booked as being accountable for the tragedy.
“The TCP officials who have given such permission without checking the ground realities including the soil condition, access road, slope gradient need to be punished for it,” he said.
Rescuers including fire department officials were on site till late evening, with Fire Chief Ashok Menon being on the site till late evening.
This is not the first time that the TCP department has been accused of granting a construction licence without physically verifying the ground realities.
Residents of Boqueachi Aradi have been fighting against another project, which has been granted a construction licence based on a ‘proposed road’ of 15 metres and not an actual road. “At many places the width of the road is less than three metres,” the residents have said in that case.
The High Court too has directed the State government to ensure that the TCP department conducts actual physical verification of the site before granting permissions.
“We direct the Chief Secretary, Government of Goa to issue appropriate instructions to the Chief Town Planner to the effect that before granting permission to the Housing Project/Developers/Constructors or Builders, a thorough site inspection shall be conducted. The Chief Town Planner/Town Planner shall, after getting personally satisfied with the site inspection report and other completion of formalities proceed to grant permission accordingly,” the court order of January of 2011 reads.
