Panaji: Another instance of hill-cutting along the Old Goa-Panaji bypass has come to haunt villagers of
Chimbel and Ribandar, as they alleged the excavation continued despite complaints to the authorities.
Two tall buildings stand on the northern side of the road where massive hill cutting had been carried out over several months last year, not far from the Saibaba temple. The present site on the southern side of the bypass overlooks the khazan fields of Merces and Chimbel towards the south.
Activists had stopped the excavation, but it resumed after some time. "We informed the flying squad again, but the authorities didn't take any action," said Ana Gracias, a resident of Chimbel. Digging on the roadside at the site — where no board with details of the project can be seen— had started some time ago.
A long strip of hill, about the size of a football ground, by the roadside has been gouged out to create space for some construction work over the past few days.
Locals had informed the panchayat after raising the issue at the gram sabha late last year. The panchayat had agreed to look into the excavation of a large area just above the Chimbel slope. "However, now the authorities are saying only trees on the site are being cleared," Gracias said.
The flying squad was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.
