Encroachments in open spaces will not be regularised: Joaquim
BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: The Urban Development Minister Joaquim Alemao felt that diversion of open spaces by legitimising illegal construction on them defeats the very purpose of having such open spaces in the first place.
This assurance came against the backdrop of a case -- Gogol lake in Margao -- mentioned by Fatorda MLA Damodar Naik during the Question Hour.
Naik said Gogol lake was a gifted property and complained of an encroachment in it. In reply, Alemao put the figure of open spaces in Margao at 17 of which one faced encroachment.
"The show-cause notice in this case was served on 6 May, 2005," informed Alemao.
Assagao sports ground grounded?
Pending for the last ten years, work on the sports ground at Assagao is to be undertaken by the Sports Authority of Goa(SAG).
Sports Minister Manohar(Babu) Azgaonkar informed that land admeasuring 15000 m2 has been acquired and its possession was obtained on July 13.
The estimates prepared in that year pegged the total expenditure for construction of this ground at Rs 89,70,000, said Azgaonkar.
" The proposal has been pending for want of funds," claimed the Sports Minister.
Earlier, Siolim MLA Dayanand Mandrekar castigated the Sports Department for an inordinate delay in accomplishing work on this ground ever since the last ten years.
This, he said, is inspite of the assurance given to him in the meet of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sports. On Mandrekar's request, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat intervened in the discussion to state that every department should fix its priority even as the budget has been increased in this regard.
He also expressed concern over the lack of maintenance of existing grounds.
New land to be acquired for school
Education Minister Atanasio(Babush) Monserrate promised to take steps to prevail upon the High Court to vacate its stay on construction of Navodaya Vidhyalaya at Valpoi and assure the HC that the government will acquire the same land admeasuring 1,17,950 m2 in case the government lost the case in HC.
Giving a brief background of the case, opposition leader Manohar Parrikar said a citizen approached the Courts in this regard for this plot belonging to the Goa government claiming it to be her property.
The land, he said, was given to Navodaya Vidhyalaya in the year 1994. " There was no construction of the school for the last 15 years," said Parrikar.
Subsequently, the lady approached the Sessions Court which decided the case in her favour. Now, the case is in the final stages in the High Court, informed Monserrate.
It was here that Parrikar wanted the government to assure the High Court to allow construction of the Navodaya Vidhyalaya on the premise that the government will proceed to acquire this piece of land if the government lost the case.
Govt to chip in for church restoration
The government yesterday promised to chip in the balance sum of Rs 1.59 crores for repairs of the old St Ana church in Talaulim.
The assurance came after the Minister for Archives Atanasio(Babush) Monserrate informed that World Mounment Fund had backed out of its committment to fund this project to the tune of Rs 1.59 crores even as the balance sum of Rs 3.29 crores for the Rs 4.88 crores project was being funded by the government. St Andre MLA Agnel Silveira thanked the government for this 'magnanimous' gesture.
