DAVORLIM COMMUNIDADE KNOCKS THE HIGH COURT DOOR

MARGAO: The South Goa district Collector’s plan to acquire huge land measuring 1.15 lakh sq meters in Davorlim village for “multi purpose utility project” has finally landed the in High Court.  The district Collector G P Naik had rejected all objections raised by the villagers against the project which forced the Davorlim Communidade to knock the doors of the High Court, seeking court’s intervention to stop the acquisition of the huge land.

The petition has been filed on ground that the government has not specified the public purpose for which the land is being acquired by the District Collector, giving wide powers to the government to implement any project taking advantage of the term ‘Multi purpose utility project”.

Davorlim villagers have been up in arms against the government’s decision to acquire 1.15 lakh sq meter of land in the village for the proposed multi-utility project on grounds that the land in question was preserved by the ancestors for the original inhabitants of the village.

In fact, numerous resolutions were adopted by the Panchayat as well as by the gram Sabha, vehemently objecting to the land acquisition by the government. The villagers feared that under the guise of the multi purpose utility purpose, the government would set up the proposed kabrastan in the village. Initially, the district Collector G P Naik had mooted acquisition of land admeasuring 1.20 lakh s q meters, but the area was later restricted to 1.15 lakh sq meters at the time of publishing section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.

That the district Collector G P Naik is hell bent on acquiring the land for the multi purpose project is evident by the fact that the government recently gave the go ahead order to the land acquisition officer to acquire the land in question.

It may be recalled that in his brief note, the district Collector had stated that it was a long standing desire to have a multi purpose utility project in south Goa to cater to the needs of all the inter-linked as well as independent projects for the overall development of the society, wherein the needs of the individuals from educational, social and cultural aspects can be catered. (HD)