DABOLIM HILL SIDE UNDER SIEGE : GBA & CVAC WARN OF MASS AGITATION

Alleging blatant hill cuttings, felling of trees and illegal digging of bore wells for a huge project advertised by DLF Homes in Dabolim, Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) along with Chicalim Village Action Committee (CVAC) has threatened to agitate if the permissions are not withdrawn.A press conference called jointly by the GBA, CVAC and some citizens of Mormugao condemned the violations and called for immediate withdrawal of permissions for felling of trees and cutting of hill slopes. The role of the Town and Country Planning Department, Forest Department, the PDA and other departments concerned has come into sharp focus with this development, environmentalists say.Convenor GBA Sabina Martins asserted in the Regional Plan 2021 the area where the project is coming up has been shown as No Development Zone, while the Outline Development Plan begs to differ on this aspect. The TCP Department has allowed hill cutting on a steep slope under section 17 (A) of TCP Act, she stated. Martins said hill slope cutting permission by the Chief Town Planner on a No Development Zone slope, sub-division of plots allowed without conversion sanad, bore wells dug without permission and felling of trees were some of the irregularities in the area. The structure is being planned for around 600 residences, it was stated. Secretary GBA Reboni Saha said the lawlessness has been promoted by deliberate ambiguity Dabolim hillside under siege!in the RP 2021 and ODP. Two-thirds of the property in Survey No 43/1-A comes under Eco Zone-I, but the ODP is showing settlement markings, she stated. Reboni reminded when the controversial Regional Plan was being argued in court in 2006 in a petition filed by Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) the Government in defense had said colour markings on plans made no difference, rules came first. It had said if settlement has been shown in a CRZ area or a hill slope, the rule of NDZ would prevail, she recalled. Sabina said the project would be like another one where work is still going on despite the court being aware files relating to the project have gone missing. Looks like a similar pattern is emerging in Dabolim, she added. Edwin Mascarenhas, a resident of Mormugao, who shared his concern, said the matter came up before the Chicalim panchayat. In 2008, the panchayat issued a stop work notice to the builder Sarawati Constructions Pvt Ltd, sister concern of DLF Homes, after which not much was known, he mentioned. Mascarenhas said Sarawati bought 77,300 square metres of land from one Anand Chandra Bose, who had purchased a total area of 1.02 lakh square metres from Vithal Naik of Comba, Margao. He said after inspection of documents under the RTI Act last month they had learnt that the panchayat had reluctantly given revised permissions to the builder after seeking legal opinion. He explained, “The issue had come before the TCP Board where the Planning and Development Authority of Mormugao failed to appear for the first hearing which was adjourned without a date.” “After 90 days lapsed and no further hearing taking place the builder went to the panchayat and told since the PDA failed to come for the hearing they should be issued permissions under a deemed clause. The panchayat after taking legal opinion had to give new permissions to the builder”, he observed. The residents in the area have decided to come together to fight the project tooth and nail and approaching the High Court was one of the options they were looking into.