Team Herald
MARGAO: Varca villagers stoutly refuted neighbouring Carmona village’s claim that Zalor beach falls under the latter panchayat’s jurisdiction saying Carmona is a land locked village that has no beach at all.
The Varca villagers also accused Carmona of merely making verbal claims without discussing the matter thoroughly or producing any evidence to establish its claim.
Ex Sarpanch Roland Fernandes raising the issue referred to the gram sabha held at Carmona recently where they claimed that Zalor beach belongs to the Carmona panchayat and not Varca and said this matter has to be clarified and set to rest once and for all.
He said they were in possession of various documents that indicate that Carmona is a land locked village with no beach and admitted that there is a ward in that village close to the beach that is called Zalor.
However, the beach to the west of the Zalor ward is part of the Fatrade beach of Varca, he said adding that various survey plans and even the regional plans show that there is no beach in Carmona village.
Recalling that Carmona villagers were always pleading with Varca to hand over the beach next to Zalor to them, he said that even land records indicate that the beach is in Varca and pointed out that taxes are paid to their panchayat.
The West Coast Hotels Pvt Ltd of Dempo has been issued a NOC by Varca Panchayat to construct a compound wall as that area is in our jurisdiction he said adding that it was only because one person who wanted to usurp his landlord’s property that this issue has come up with the Carmona panchayat fraudulently giving him a house number and collecting his taxes.
Former Sarpanch Jose Afonso recalled that during his tenure the land owner was issued a notice for an illegal construction carried out. “The owners of the land are the Vaz family from Varca who had appointed one caretaker to look after the property and he became a tenant of that land.
He pointed out that another person who had a hut in the property and was listed in the other rights column continues to pay taxes to Varca however, the descendant of the tenant after changing his name from Gurudas Naik to Amaro Dias in an attempt to usurp the land has created the confusion.
Roland said the panchayat has evidence of how the Naik family that were registered voters in Varca were shifted to be voters in Carmona and also how fraudulently they were made to pay taxes to Carmona.
“We shall take the concerned secretary of Carmona who has played this mischief to task,” he said while arguing that Varca need not fight over the beach because it belongs to them and if necessary let Carmona file a petition to establish their ownership of the beach.
“Without even filing a petition the people from Carmona are claiming that the Zalor beach is in dispute,” he said while pointing out that there is no beach called Zalor and the confusion was created only because of one sign board stating way to Zalor beach.
