Please post and forward to all concerned Goans! See you all at the Cansaulim Panchayat Hall at 6:30pm on Friday July 30th!
*Goa Bachao Abhiyan* * * 77, Defence Colony, Alto Porvorim-Goa E-mail: goabachaoabhi...@gmail.com url: www.savegoa.com ): 9767701245 The Goa Bachao Abhiyan and the Villagers of Cansaulim will hold a meeting with those who are concerned about the type of “development” being carried out across the state while the Government of Goa drags its feet and the Village Panchayats do not address the concerns of the village residents who form their constituency. *The meeting will be held at 6pm on Friday 30th July 2010 at the Village Panchayat Hall, Cansaulim.* While the Gram Sabha of Cansaulim had resolved in 2009 that no multi-dwelling units would be approved by the Village Panchayat without first referring it to the Gram Sabha, construction licences for the same continue to be given even in 2010. There are also constructions licenced in low-lying paddy fields that have been intentionally left fallow. A major issue of the villagers, is the change in the demography of the wards with the advent of multi-storeyed, multi-dwelling buildings amidst the ground level single-unit residences. Any “development” should improve the quality of life for the residents and not create a burden on the existing infrastructure [roads, electricity, water and sanitation being the critical components] and lead to social tension and strife. The meeting will be addressed by the villagers of Cansaulim including Dr. Marconi Correia and Ms. Sheila Gracias and also by representatives of the GBA including its Convener Sabina Martins, Mr. Aravind Bhatikar and Fr. Maverick Fernandes of CSJP. The meeting will seek to find solutions and evolve a concept of development for the village. The Cansaulim villagers are outraged over the fact that the elected Panch members of the Village Panchayat have passed a resolution declaring a perfectly legal resolution adopted by the Gram Sabha as “Null and void”, even though the resolution was passed by following the procedure laid down for Gram Sabha. The villagers have opted to voluntarily restrict constructions in the village at VP3 level of 50 FAR, but the Village Panchayat continues to issue construction licences to buildings at 80 FAR of VP1, contrary to the demand and resolutions of the Gram Sabha available on its own records. The GBA will also release for South Goa its booklet on “Village Development Plan 2010” prepared by the villagers through a workshop held last May at Nachinola VP, in association with the Village Level Committee, elected Village Panchayat body, the Zilla Panchayat member [Aldona-Nachinola-Moira] and facilitated by GBA in association with MAITHRI of Kottayam District-Kerala. The booklet contains the Village Development Plan proposed by the Directorate of Panchayats as per the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, to be completed by every village panchayat by 01 November each year. The meeting will take note of the Opposition benches taking up in the Legislative Assembly the issue of the delay in the finalisation of Regional Plan 2021 during the monsoon session beginning on 19 July, 2010, to seek an explanation from the Government, specially the TCP Minister, about the inordinate delays that are fostering the destruction of Goa in the interim period. After the initial fervour, the operation of the “Flying Squads” seems to have slipped into a void. The on-the-spot “Stop Work” orders where tree-cutting, hill cutting or land filling has almost come to a standstill. The GBA and the other groups have decided on re-start the protest to bring to the attention of the Goa Government and the Goa Adminsitration that patience has run out among the people of Goa and the delaying tactics will no longer work. The Government seems to have ceased being responsible to the people and there is no alternative but to take more affirmative action. Reboni Saha *Hon Secretary GBA* -- Tel: +91-9767701245 Visit www.savegoa.com -- Tel: +91-9767701245 Visit www.savegoa.com -- Tel: +91-9767701245 Visit www.savegoa.com * * * UK STOCKS EXHAUSTED! After a community-supported launch at Croydon, Selma Carvalho's *Into the Diaspora Wilderness* is available at Broadways Book Centre, Panjim [Ph +91-9822488564] Price (in Goa only) Rs 295. Ask a friend to pick up a copy. Details of the book http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/ * * *
