COMPLAINT AGAINST FALSE AFFIDAVIT

MARGAO: Residents of Benduxem, Dongorim, Navelim have lodged a complaint at the Margao town police station against two for swearing a false affidavit, on Thursday, informed officials.

The residents alleged that the two had sworn an affidavit dated October 5, 2009 before the notary, Mr Jose Joey Rodrigues and submitted it to the Navelim panchayat, to obtain a construction licence stating therein that besides them there are no other legal heirs of their father late Sakharam Rawal, who was resident of house number 482 at Dongorim. Based on this affidavit, the panchayat had issued a demolition notice of the structure of the late Rawal.

However, the two along with 13 others, filed an intervention application bearing Misc Civil Application No 557/2010 in writ petition No 297/2010 before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, stating that they are all legal heirs of late Sakharam Rawal who had constructed the illegal structure at Dongorim, Navelim, which was subject matter of the said application as regards which the village panchayat Navelim has issued a demolition notice as being illegal.

Though the High Court rejected their intervention application, the heirs of late Rawal approached the Additional Director of Panchayats and obtained an ex-parte stay on the demolition of the illegal structure till the next date of hearing on grounds that all the legal heirs were not served with the demolition notice.

But the residents of Benduxem filed their intervention application before the Additional Director of Panchayats, prompting the DoP not to extend the ex-parte stay that was granted earlier.

The contention of the interveners is that a civil suit bearing no 171/83 filed by the late Sakharam Rawal before the Civil Court at Margao seeking to restrain the village panchayat from demolishing the illegal structure was dismissed by the District Court, South Goa at Margao vide judgement and order dated November 18, 1987 passed in Miscellaneous Civil Appeal No 79/85. This judgment has become final for want of appeal.

The matter is now fixed for October 25 and the residents of the locality have requested the panchayat authorities to execute the demolition order dated June 1, 2010 as the stay has not been extended.

It may be recalled that the PWD engineers had changed the alignment of the Dongorim-Firgulem Bridge allegedly to save the said illegal structure existing on the public road forcing the protesting residents and effected farmers to approach the courts for justice. (NT)