Team Herald
PANJIM: Taleigao residents have demanded that no agricultural, farm or orchard land be shown as settlement or commercial zone in the Taleigao Outline Development Plan (ODP) that has been kept open for suggestions.
Several Taleigao farmers and locals accompanied by BJP Taleigao Mandal President Dattaprasad Naik on Tuesday met North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) Member Secretary R K Pandita with this suggestion and others.
Naik said rampant construction of buildings and intrusion of roads into fields was a cause for concern. “There have been known cases where constructions have happened in front of people’s houses and in fields. The case with Gera was the most recent where they were releasing sewage directly into fields. This needs to stop,” he said.
Speaking to media persons, Gloria Po, member of BJP women’s division, said a 10-meter road being built in one of Caranzalem’s many fields was of no benefit to the village.
“The 10-meter road being constructed will not help a single local but is only beneficial to the builder lobby. The dumping of sewage into fields has made it difficult to cultivate crops and farmers fear going into their own fields because of diseases they may catch,” she said.
Naik pointed to several parts that have already been converted into C2 zones restricting waterways and providing development only for construction.
“The main problem is that the infrastructure itself is not in place. The water shortage problem needs to be addressed, existing roads need to be hot mixed and the promise of laying down sewage lines is still in the air,” he said.
In the suggestions, the group has also called for maintaining and protecting the existing nullah, refusal of proposals for development at the foothills or on the slopes due to the risk of landslides and loss of environment and life and have also called for no high rise and high density buildings to be allowed thus helping in maintaining the serenity of the village.
