Mapusa: Villagers of Verla Canca, on Sunday, passed a resolution objecting to the development of plots on a large portion of land on Verla hill.
They alleged that the property belonged to the comunidade of Verla, and demanded that the panchayat write to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) and Revenue departments, raising their objections.
Raising the issue, Lincoln Braganza said there were rumours that a vast tract of comunidade land on green hills was being converted into plots and put up for sale.
“This land would be in lakhs of square meters. It is a huge piece of land and selling it will set a terrible precedent and this will lead to another disaster like that witnessed in Kerala’s Wayanad district on the morning of July 30, 2024,” said Braganza.
Another resident, Zacarias Mendes, demanded that the panchayat take the matter up with the TCP department.
Following discussion, a resolution was passed.
During the meeting, senior citizen Enfelicia D’Souza alleged harassment by the panchayat as she had been waiting six months for an occupancy certificate despite the block development officer’s order.
Responding, the secretary denied harassment, saying the delay was due to improper setback issue, and would be addressed.
On the issue of guesthouses operating without contributing revenue to the panchayat, members decided to conduct an inspection along with police. The panchayat has already issued seven notices to such guesthouses.
Villagers also raised concerns about stray dogs, demanding sterilisation measures to control the canine population.
Sarpanch Aarti Naik said that the panchayat was in touch with the Animal Husbandry Department to work out a solution.
“We have already resolved the stray cattle issue by signing an MoU. Till date 19 cattle have been impounded, which gave relief to farmers. We will also work out a solution for dogs,” said Naik.
