Seek repeal, scrapping of TCP Act amendments
The gram sabha of the village Panchayat of Raia held on Sunday.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The gram sabha of Raia village panchayat on Sunday resolved to demand that the government immediately repeal the recent Amendments bought to the Town and Country Planning Act and to come up with a new Regional Plan.
The gram sabha chaired by Sarpanch Mario D’Souza also saw a host of issues coming up for discussions, including the cutting of trees at Sonsodo to pave way for the construction of a police station building, the dilapidated Manora-Raia road and hill cutting etc.
Gram sabha members lamented that the government had never implemented the Regional Plan formulated with the participation of the people at the grass root level. While demanding a repeal and scrapping of the recent amendments to the TCP Act, the gram sabha has demanded a new RP with people’s participation.
The issue over the dilapidated Manora road figured in the discussions when gram sabha members demanded to know whether the Panchayat has taken up the issue with the PWD. Sarpanch Mario replied to the members that the hot mixing of the road has been pending because of the underground cabling work. He told the media that the hot mixing work is expected to commence and requested the government to complete the work before Christmas.
Gram sabha member Manuel Barbosa demanded to know from the Sarpanch whether the Panchayat has received funds under the ST Tribal plan to usher in development of the ST dominated areas. Reminding that six out of the 11 Panchayat members hail from the ST Community, Barbosa requested the Sarpanch to find out with the government over the status of the ST fund and why the same is not being sanctioned to the village for development works.
Some of the members raised the issue of cutting of trees near Sonsodo for the proposed Maina Curtorim police station building. Armed with RTI replies, the members drew attention of the Sarpanch that none of the authorities had given the permission to cut trees in the acquired land.
The Sarpanch, however, told the members that the panchayat has not received any proposal for any construction activity in the acquired land. He requested the members to file a petition on the issue, promising to hold an inspection and to send the correspondence to the concerned departments for action.
When the issue of hill cutting was raised by the members, the Sarpanch requested the members to draw the attention of the Panchayat body immediately when they come across hill cutting activity.
Meanwhile, gram sabha member Martin Rodrigues has called for an urgent need for proper consultations with the Garbage Management Stakeholders as well as all the elected local bodies before floating a Tender for Expression Of Interests (EOI) for the Deposit Refund System Operator by the Department of Environment & Climate Change to implement the DRS.
He said the implementation of the Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) due to its impact on the present Garbage Management System followed by the Village Panchayat of Raia as well as that on the consumers of Raia Village who will have to pay beyond the MRP stated on the product sold as stated in the scheme document published in the official Gazette dated Series I No 20 dated 16th August 2024.
