Vikas Nagar residents demand action against encroachment on open space at Carambolim

PANJIM: The Vikas Nagar Residents Association, Carambolim has demanded action against an encroachment in an open space at Vikas Nagar, Carambolim even as the area is being developed under the MPLAD Scheme government has allegedly illegally encroached a portion of the said open space and fenced it.
The Association president Valeriano Soares alleged that a government officer has illegally encroached on the open space and is misusing his powers to stop the Carambolim Village Panchayat on two occasions from clearing the said encroachment.
The Association further claimed nearly 80 per cent of the work of developing the said open space i.e. construction of a compound wall and a jogging track has been completed and remaining work of the total Rs 42 lakh project has remained incomplete allegedly because of obstacles created by the influential government officer.
The work had commenced in October 2021 and was to be completed by July 2022. But due to encroachment, the work has remained incomplete.
The Association members claimed that they have approached Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai and also the office of the Union Minister of State for Tourism and North Goa MP Shripad Naik on many occasions but nobody came forward to help in getting the encroachment cleared.
According to the residents, the PWD Works Division-V had also written to the North Goa Collector stating that the work undertaken under the MPLAD Scheme could not be completed as the boundary of the open space along the jogging track was not defined. Following this, the office of the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records conducted a joint survey along with Carambolim Sarpanch Kusta Salelkar and the president of Vikas Nagar Resident Association in order to demarcatethe boundary of the open space on October 27, 2022. But till date, demarcated boundary plan has not been submitted to the PWD.
On two occasions, the village panchayat tried to remove the illegal encroachment but in vain.
When contacted, Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai said, “Residents of Vikas Nagar have met me with their grievances. I have sought the Chief Minister’s appointment only to discuss this matter. I will get it done as per the law of the land.”