Team Herald
QUEPEM: The residents of Xeldem, Quepem have raised concern over a proposed mega housing project in the village on Friday, fearing that it may lead to an influx of migrant workers, potentially altering the village’s demographic and social fabric.
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The project is reportedly set to be developed on the property of the now defunct Atlantic Spinning and Weaving Mills, which had been inoperative for more than a decade. The Xeldem panchayat secretary faced criticism for failing to inform the Quepem Deputy Collector about the mill’s sealing orders but assured the villagers that the necessary documents would be submitted following the meeting.
After meeting the Quepem deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate Manohar Karekar, social worker Aditya Desai said that the villagers have been claiming that the land belonged to Communidade and the devasthan. He said that the mutation number was also missing from the records and demanded to know how the land was transferred to the institution when it belonged to Comunidade and devasthan.
The deputy collector told them to first concentrate to stop the ongoing work and to stop the theft of material from the property, Desai said, alleging scam in the transfer of land and missing of mutation number.
Former sarpanch John Travasso said that the company premises has been auctioned, while destruction was going due to reckless felling of trees. In 1987, the Atlantic Spinning and Weaving Mills bought the earlier textile unit belonging to the Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd and started its commercial operations from 1988.
It is also learnt that the Xeldem village panchayat has started process to recover pending house tax dues of Rs 7 lakh from the former promoters of Atlantic Spinning and Weaving Mills.
Quepem mamlatdar Nathan Afonso, Bicholim Block Development Office (BDO) Anil Naik, Xeldem sarpanch Kavita Gauns Dessai, ward member Pramod Gauns Dessai and panchayat secretary were present.
