Calangute locals give govt 8 days to demolish illegal cottages in CRZ

CALANGUTE: The state government has been given eight days to clear the 30m buffer zone around the Hindu crematorium at Khobrawaddo, Calangute, of all the illegal cottages constructed by a resort.
Members of all the temple committees in Calangute and also the Shree Dev Babreshwar Devasthan Trust, which oversees the functioning of the crematorium held a joint meeting in front of the Shantadurga temple at Calangute tinto on Sunday morning, to protest against the delay in clearing the buffer zone.A large number of Hindu villagers attended the meeting, braving the pouring rain, as the issue has generated considerable heat in the village.
Speakers pointed out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had, in February, directed the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to clear the area of cottages which had been built in violation of CRZ regulations. Despite this, the cottages are still there, they said, allegedly due to no action by the authorities concerned due to alleged corruption. Speakers warned that they would enforce a shutdown in Calangute and clear the illegal temporary cottages, themselves, if the authorities failed to act within eight days. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and acting sarpanch Joseph Sequeira also came in for criticism for failing to take action. Lobo was present at the meeting.
On Saturday, Lobo said that the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) had written to the resort on Friday to clear the structures within seven days. Also seeking to diffuse the tension, the Calangute panchayat, on Saturday, said they will seek police protection on Monday to carry out the demolition of the illegal cottages.
Acting sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said the panchayat had to issue the licence to the resort at Khobrawado to build 86 temporary cottages and one restaurant because the owner had a provisional CRZ clearance and other permissions. “The entire confusion started when the area was shown as settlement on the land use map of the NGPDA. As far as the cottages were concerned, we had written to the resort owners in May to demolish the structures, which they had agreed to do. In June, we received a letter from the crematorium committee that the structures were still there, after which we sent a notice to the resort to remove the cottages. We can’t simply go and demolish them. We have to follow a procedure,” he said.
Referring to the draft land use map recently prepared by the NGPDA which showed the area as settlement zone, Lobo, who is also the NGPDA chairman, said, “The map was prepared using Google, so the temporary structures are shown on it. Wherever there are structures we have shown settlement zone. But, this mistake has already been rectified, and the area is now shown as orchard.”