Note: This appeared a day ago in the Madras edition of the Hindu; today (16/4/08) it is in the Mangalore edition, which is what we get in Goa. In Panjim, you should be able to get the Hindu at Varsha bookstall and in Mapusa at the newspaper between the Taxi stand and Syndicate Bank. Anyway, I am reproducing the piece below because it is very relevant not only to Aldona, but to what is going on all over Goa.
------ The Hindu, Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 Residents up in arms against conversion ‘overdo’ by developers Special Correspondent Mega housing project is proposed to come up in Aldona village Aldona is a coastal village in north Goa Stop work till Chief Town Planner grants permission: ABA PANAJI: In what is seen as a battle for survival, residents of villages in Goa are up in arms against the reckless conversion “overdo” by real estate developers who are targeting villages in pursuit of mega projects. Residents of Aldona, a sleepy coastal village of north Goa, who are concerned about the moves towards urbanisation of the village, are protesting against a proposed mega housing project. The Aldona Bachao Abhiyan (ABA), a core group formed by the residents, is gearing for its struggle armed with a notification issued by the State Government on March 13 regarding the role of the ward development committees, village panchayats and gram sabhas, as well as the zilla panchayat in the planning process. Accordingly, the ABA last Sunday has asked the village panchayat of Aldona to instruct the promoters of the controversial project to stop the work pending grant of permission by the Chief Town Planner as required under the Town and Country Planning Act (TCP), 1974, said Maria Aurora Couto, writer, social activist and spokesperson of the ABA. Petition The ABA is in the process of addressing a petition to the Chief Town Planner requesting him not to issue any licence under Section 17-A of the TCP Act. Ms. Couto said that the petition would be signed by a large number of residents of the village who would like to see development that would be beneficial to all the current residents of the village and not solely to the prospective new entrants in the proposed housing colonies. Ms. Couto said that request for assistance was coming in from neighbouring villages, which were also besieged by the so-called “development projects”. It had been decided that each village would deal with the issues locally but information would be shared between such groups, she said. The ABA has also pointed to yet another issue wherein tenanted Communidade land (land belonging to the age-old village land communes) is being sold by the tenant allegedly in connivance with members of the Communidades in different villages. In the light of the agricultural tenancy Act, no tenanted agricultural field can be converted for non-agricultural purpose such as housing. The ABA has called upon the authorities concerned to prevent the breach of law while granting construction licences. -- Question everything -- Karl Marx
