Panaji: An inspection to verify allegations of a 20-metre illegal road in khazan land near Neura panchayat has uncovered a more serious violation: land-filling of nearly 2,000 square metres for a farmhouse with a swimming pool. The illegal mud-filling appears to have been carried out over several months in a concealed part of the eco-fragile khazan land, not far from the Pilar-Old Goa road.
Details of the Violation
“The mangroves have been cut in tenanted land and a ground-plus-one structure has been built with a swimming pool in front of it,” said Dattaprasad Toraskar, Tiswadi mamlatdar, speaking to TOI. The mamlatdar and panchayat members arrived on Monday for an inspection of the illegal road, which was allegedly built by a local school. The land-filling with pipes was intended to link the KRC road to the institution’s play area.
Farm on Reclaimed Land
The tenant’s kin had used the reclaimed area for a farm, as banana suckers were found on the site. A part of the larger tenanted area, originally a paddy field, has been reclaimed for this purpose. The landfilled area of the farm lies towards the east, concealed behind the school building from the panchayat edifice in the west, which houses several other establishments. Both the panchayat buildings and the school along the main road have been built on reclaimed khazan land.
Previous Proposals and Action Taken
Local residents had flagged a proposal for a sports township on Neura’s western border a few years ago. Sarpanch Aditya Sawant provided details to the mamlatdar in the presence of other panch members. A flying squad had inspected the illegal road earlier, and police were present on Monday. A first information report against the illegalities has been filed at Agasaim police station.
