UNION MINISTER’S HELP SOUGHT AGAINST RAHEJAS

MARGAO: Carmona villagers waging a battle against the Raheja housing project in the village has now sought the intervention of Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh against the project.  Copies of the petition have been forwarded to the President of India, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi for information and action.

In the petition, Carmona Panch member Orlando Da Silva said the Mumbai based real estate developer had purchased the property in 2007 on the banks of River Sal, an eco sensitive zone with thick green cover with mangroves and other forest trees with the intent of setting up a huge mega housing project meant for the neo rich from outside as second homes.

He drew attention of Jairam Ramesh to the unanimous resolution adopted by the village gram sabha on March 3, 2008, opposing the mega housing project amidst terror unleashed by groups owing allegiance to local MLA and PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao, who is supporting the Raheja project against the wishes of the locals.

He said the real estate developer under the patronage of the political class have clandestinely destroyed the mangroves and the thick private forest cover by putting fire and by using machinery as evident by the compounding order passed by the Forest department imposing fines and directives to replant five times the trees destroyed.

The petition pointed out that the project site does not have a access road of 10 meters as required under existing TCP rules but the Goa chief Minister Digambar Kamat under pressure of Alemao is now on record via the media that the TCP board has decided to grants license to the Raheja’s and the road condition will be made mandatory at the time of granting occupancy to the project. “The TCP department has issued subdivision NOC to the builder with the conditions that no secondary permissions will be granted unless the road is acquired and developed to 10 meters width”, he added.

Incidentally, Orlando pointed out that the same Chief Minister vide a circular dated August 29, 2008 was also on record that unless road width as required as per TCP rules is physically present at site no permission should be granted even for conversion sanads and subdivisions.

“There is no possibility for construction of 10 meter Access road unless the residents houses and compounds are demolished and based on fears these residents have knocked the doors of the judiciary for necessary reliefs. The Government cannot acquire a road for the benefit of the commercial project at the cost of the locals”, Orlando added.