As per the audit reports for the financial year 2016-17, Salcete taluka has 594 illegal constructions in its 30 villages and most of the panchayats have paid as legal fees amounts beyond the permissible limits.
Loutolim has the highest number of illegal constructions numbering 99 followed by Nuvem where there are 69 illegal constructions reported and Rumdamol Davorlim has 55 illegal constructions registered.
No illegal constructions were reported by Ambelim and Sarzora while during the year of audit not a single illegal construction was reported in Sao Jose de Areal which has 11 illegal constructions reported over the years.
Significantly the number of illegal constructions in Cana Benaulim and Aquem Baixo could not be ascertained by the auditors as the two panchayats did not maintain the records.
Altogether, there are 372 cases pending in various fora with the highest number being in Nuvem which is involved in 55 cases. Nuvem has paid Rs. 55,300 as legal fees which have been termed as beyond permissible limits by the auditors.
Interestingly Aquem Baixo and Colva panchayat have not maintained any record of the cases yet have paid money as legal fees. While Aquem Baixo has paid Rs. 20,400 as legal fees Colva has paid a whopping Rs. 3.26 lakhs which is beyond permissible limits.
While Sarzora, Raia, Rachol and Carmona panchayats were not involved in any cases, the panchayats of Ambelim, Sao Jose de Areal and Rumdamol Davorlim did not submit any record of the cases they are involved in.
The panchayats of Velim, Assolna, Curtorim, Davorlim Dicarpale, Nuvem, Betalbatim, Cana Benaulim, Colva and Seraulim according to the auditors had paid amounts beyond the permissible limits as legal fees.
The 30 panchayats together issued 761 new construction licenses with Benaulim issuing the highest number as it issued 59 construction licenses and collected a sum of Rs. 12.93 lakhs as construction license fee. Raia was next as it issued 57 licenses and collected Rs. 7.32 as fees for that.
However, Colva by issuing only 42 construction licenses collected the highest amount as fees as it got Rs. 83.55 lakhs. Incidentally Rachol and Paroda issued only two construction licenses during the year of audit and while Rachol collected Rs. 31,820, Paroda collected Rs. 22,500.
