CALANGUTE: Villagers at a gram sabha of the Candolim panchayat on Sunday alleged that the panchayat inspection reports of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations are being manipulated to protect illegal structures in the no-development zone close to the beach.
A resident of the village, Anthony D’Souza, said that following a complaint made by him about an illegal structure in the CRZ area at Dando, the Candolim panchayat had recently conducted a site inspection.
“I asked for the report and it says that everything is in line with the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) licence and all panchayat members are on board,” D’Souza said during the gram sabha. “This is completely wrong. The GCZMA licence says that the temporary structure should be made of wooden material. But all you see at the spot is cement and metal.”
The CRZ licence says the structure should comprise the ground floor only, D’Souza said. “But this structure is ground plus one,” he said.
Villagers also demanded that the panchayat cancel the trade licences of those violating CRZ rules. They pressed the panchayat to write to GCZMA, telling the authority not to issue the long-term seven-year licence.
Against the backdrop of the crackdown on illegal dance bars at Calangute, Candolim sarpanch Blaize Fernandes assured the gram sabha that the panchayat has not issued any trade licences for discos or nightclubs.
“We are issuing licences to only restaurants,” Fernandes said. “This year, the panchayat will mention in trade licences that operations can be run till only 11pm.” Villagers had complained about loud music played by some establishments even late in the night despite objections.
The panchayat was urged not to issue construction licences based on the outline development plan. However, the sarpanch said the matter is in the high court.
