http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=19445&cid=26
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
Heated exchanges witnessed at Saligao gram sabha over RP
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CALANGUTE, MARCH 29
The Saligao gram sabha on Sunday convened to deliberate on Draft
Regional Plan marked heated exchanges between the members over proposed
road issues in the area.
Briefing the members, Domnic Fernandes, a member of Village Level
Committee, said that looking into the needs and development of Saligao,
RP 2021 committee members in consultation with the sarpanch and members
have finalised the draft, which includes a garbage treatment plant,
health centre, football ground, besides other issues.
Later, he requested the core committee members to explain RP to the gram
sabha members.
Explaining draft RP, Austin Gama said: “We have proposed a garbage
treatment plant on a land in Saligao, which are communidade paddy fields
of about 5,000 sq mtrs.”
“Accordingly, the proposal will be forwarded to the government for its
consideration and the affected farmers will also be compensated,” added
Gama. Later, the members unanimously approved the proposal.
Divulging the details of the route of the proposed 40-metre Major
District Road (MDR), Gama said: “The road is taking too many twists and
turns from Gautam Hotel leading to Dhonvaddo, Pilerne Industrial Estate,
Saligao Seminary and Salmona Spring, proceeding to Calangute, thus
destroying the hilly areas.”
However, the Village RP Committee was of the opinion that the proposed
road should be scrapped.
Pradeep Padgaonkar, however, raised objection to the scrapping of the
road and said: “The ground reality is that we need another bypass road,
but we should ask for the realignment.”
Expressing similar views, Roland said that they should not oppose
anything and everything for the sake of opposing it, which may be
beneficial to the village. He suggested for the realignment of the route.
Sarpanch Bholanath Ghadi Sankhalkar said that they need a road to do
away with traffic congestion and urged the members to decide accordingly.
However, Gama said that there is no need of a road of about 40-60 mtrs
width through the hills or paddy fields, which is not beneficial to the
villagers.
“Therefore in the interest of Saligao, we should seek its realignment by
keeping the maximum road width to 15 mtrs wide,” said Gama, which was
accepted by the members and a resolution for a change in realignment
with 15 mtrs wide road was passed.
With regard to football ground, Gama said that the panchayat has
earmarked an area of about 80,000 sq mtrs in the paddy fields, near
timber mill, and according to the sarpanch, the process has already begun.
Gama also said that the committee has also proposed a health centre on
the lines of Candolim Health Centre next to Saligao panchayat building.
Pertaining to panchayat status, after discussion on the subject, the
members agreed for ‘VP II Status with R4 rating’.
When the matter of roads came up for discussion, heated arguments took
place between the residents of Piquen Morodd.
Unable to control the members and maintain decorum, the sarpanch blamed
Village Level Committee Convenor Ashley Delaney for showing the proposed
road without his knowledge and called for his replacement from the
committee.
The members of the committee strongly objected to the utterances of the
sarpanch and said that it was a collective decision to which Panch
Eknath Oraskar was also a party.
Raising the settlements issue, Panchas Jack Coelho and Eknath Oraskar
wanted additional settlement areas by converting the eco-sensitive areas
into settlement zones, which were objected to by the gram sabha members.
Explaining the matter, Dean D’Cruz said: “The present FAR is four times
more than that of earlier times, which should be more than sufficient.”
“We should not violate and destabilize the ECO-I sensitive areas like
paddy fields, slopes and hilly regions and convert it into settlement
zones,” he added. However, the settlement zone issue remained inconclusive.
Earlier, the meeting began with Deleaney being unnecessarily targeted by
members for drawing draft RP for Saligao.
Deleaney was allegedly confronted by the members with ulterior motives
with some even demanding scrapping of the plan, which the members of
Village Development Committee felt was in the interest of the village.
As a precautionary measure, Village Development Committee summoned the
police force from Calangute police station.
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just to clarify..
the ground is actually 38000 sq metrs and the garbage management site is
just 39000 sq metrs and not 5000 as was said.
Ashley
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