NT Reporter
Vasco
Verna police on Friday registered an FIR against six villagers of Arossim for allegedly illegally constructing a wall on a public road and blocking access to a hotel project.
According to a complaint filed by Bernard Dias of Daffodil Hotels Pvt Ltd, between February 8 and 10, the accused allegedly constructed an illegal wall on a public road, blocking access to the complainant’s hotel project.
The complaint further stated that when hotel staff and workers objected, the accused allegedly verbally abused them and issued criminal threats.
Arossim residents, along with their advocate Charles Furtado and Congress leader Olencio Simoes, met the police inspector.
Simoes condemned the registration of the FIR, saying the villagers had reconstructed the retaining wall of a damaged culvert.
“The culvert was destroyed during the execution of a hotel project,” he said.
Simoes said that the villagers had approached the authorities seeking reconstruction of the culvert and that the Cansaulim panchayat had even passed a resolution supporting the demand, despite which no action was taken.
“Fearing flooding during the monsoon, villagers reconstructed the retaining wall of the culvert at their own cost,” he said.
Simoes said many of those named in the FIR were not present at the site when the culvert was reconstructed.
Daffodils Hotels has taken over the project recently from the original proponent who had commenced it 15 years ago.
Villagers have opposed the project for more than 15 years, said Simoes.
