VASCO
A special meeting convened by the Sancoale Panchayat on Tuesday to address the construction license issued to Bhutani Infra descended into chaos as opposition members accused the ruling panel of procedural violations.
Tensions ran high as a heavy police presence was required to manage crowds of locals and activists who arrived from across Goa to protest the controversial license.
The meeting, which began at 11 am and concluded by 1 pm, saw intense exchanges between ruling and opposition panchayat members, ultimately ending without consensus.
Later speaking to reporters, Opposition panch member Tulshidas Naik claimed that the meeting had not been completed, after the ruling members, along with the panchayat secretary, had abruptly walked out.
“The Panchayat has taken an illegal legal opinion because no resolution was passed to appoint the advocates for a legal opinion,” Naik alleged.
He argued that the opinion obtained by the Panchayat was invalid, as it lacked signatures and dates, and only advised the Panchayat to delay decisions until the matter was resolved by the High Court.
Naik said the opposition had requested that the panchayat revoke or suspend the construction license granted to Parmesh Construction until a court ruling.
“They did not agree, and when we asked for a vote, they just walked out,” Naik stated, adding that the ruling panel’s actions were detrimental to the area.
Opposition panch member Maurelio Carvalho echoed these concerns, criticising the Panchayat’s decision to take a legal opinion.
“The opinion we received is unsigned and undated. It’s invalid. My question is, why did the Panchayat take a legal opinion at all when they could have simply revoked the license?” Carvalho noted that locals had resorted to an indefinite hunger strike, which he said the Panchayat had ignored.
Responding to the allegations, Deputy Sarpanch Derick Vales refuted claims of misconduct, stating that the meeting had proceeded lawfully.
Vales said, "We had informed the Panchayat in the previous meeting that we would seek legal advice from two advocates. Today, we placed both legal opinions in the meeting, including one sent by email. Both opinions advise us to wait for the High Court’s decision before proceeding."
Vales added that the Panchayat plans to notify the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP) and MPDA to avoid potential legal complications.
"The ruling panel is with the people and acting within the law,” emphasised Vales and asked the opposition members to "speak truthfully and not mislead the public."
