SALIGAO: A large tract of cultivable land measuring around 8,000 sqm at Orda, Candolim, in close proximity to the Nerul river, is being reclaimed during the past several months in alleged violation of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) rules.
Locals have pointed out that panchayat and the authorities concerned have maintained a stoic silence, even as truckloads of mud continue to be dumped indiscriminately.
"This is blatant illegality. The paddy fields and biodiversity is being destroyed, and it is baffling that the authorities have chosen not to act against this violation," Fatima Dias, a villager said.
A small road has been built for trucks to transport the mud to the site. A part of the reclaimed area has been barricaded with tarpaulin sheets, but there is no information board displayed to indicate the project details.
"This rampant land-filling activity at Orda in survey number 59/3, where an excavator is seen scooping mud and levelling the field, is surely known to our panchayat members. But they seem to have deliberately ignored this," local resident, Damian Telles, said.
Candolim sarpanch Salvador Blaise Fernandes said, "We have written to the revenue department and other authorities, but no action has been forthcoming." The land has been shown as settlement in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Candolim. But the ODP has not been finalized. The process remained inconclusive after it was notified due to the assembly polls that were announced on January 4.
Locals have pointed out that panchayat and the authorities concerned have maintained a stoic silence, even as truckloads of mud continue to be dumped indiscriminately.
"This is blatant illegality. The paddy fields and biodiversity is being destroyed, and it is baffling that the authorities have chosen not to act against this violation," Fatima Dias, a villager said.
A small road has been built for trucks to transport the mud to the site. A part of the reclaimed area has been barricaded with tarpaulin sheets, but there is no information board displayed to indicate the project details.
"This rampant land-filling activity at Orda in survey number 59/3, where an excavator is seen scooping mud and levelling the field, is surely known to our panchayat members. But they seem to have deliberately ignored this," local resident, Damian Telles, said.
Candolim sarpanch Salvador Blaise Fernandes said, "We have written to the revenue department and other authorities, but no action has been forthcoming." The land has been shown as settlement in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Candolim. But the ODP has not been finalized. The process remained inconclusive after it was notified due to the assembly polls that were announced on January 4.
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