(GT, 25/3/10)
PANJIM: "You are destroying Goa" is how Justice SJ Vazifdar of the Bombay High Court at Goa reacted to arguments put forth by the Advocate General and an advocate for the Chinchinim panchayat supporting a three-metre wide road, which threatens to mar twocentury-old homes in the village. Vazifdar made the remark while hearing a writ petition filed by Dr Agnelo Lopes from Deusua, Chinchinim objecting to acquisition of the land between two heritage homes of his family. Dr Lopes contended that the road of merely three metres width was in fact an easementary footpath, which leads to - a dead end and prayed that the land acquisition proceedings be quashed. The road to be tarred will cause destruction of the steps to the houses of heritage value and may even damage them due to the traffic, Adv J Vaz for the petitioner argued. "If you go to other states, you shall realise how beautiful Goa is," Justice Vazifdar asserted, while reacting to Adv Nitin Sardessai's contention that the petitioner had failed to submit proof that the houses in question were indeed 'heritage houses',. Sardessai represents the Chinchinim panchayat. Justice Vazifdar also mentioned that from a cursory look at the phOtOgqlphs produced one could know that these are heritage houses. Advocate General Subodh Kantak, meanwhile, claimed that the petitioner himself was a signatory to memorandum submitted to the panchayat demanding construction of a road and that it be tarred. He also said that the road in question is only the first phase of the proposed project to connect two main roads of the village in the area. But Adv Vaz, while admitting that the petitianer did indeed sign such a memorandum, pointed out that the alignment was different and the demand was for a six metre wide road. He submitted a plan showing the alternate alignment where a six-metre wide road can ,be constructed without damaging houses or other constructions in the area. Vaz alleged that the present alignment is chosen through the petitioner's land only to harrass him at the behest of a local politician.
