Cavelossim locals irate over illegal work in Nehra’s land

Margao: The gram sabha of Cavelossim turned stormy over illegal constructions in the village, mostly over the controversial development in the no-development zone (NDZ) on the property owned by former cricketer Ashish Nehra at Mobor.

Sarpanch Dixon Vaz faced a volley of questions over the development of a road through Nehra’s property without the required NOC by the panchayat. Vaz explained to the gram sabha the sequence of events that led to a heated exchange between him and Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas last month concerning Nehra’s property. The sarpanch stressed that he had no role or interest in the development of the property and that the panchayat was not informed of the plans.

Replying to the queries, Vaz said that the Cavelossim panchayat had already issued a stop-work notice in June. He emphasised that the restoration of the damaged sand dunes is beyond the jurisdiction of the panchayat. As the property falls in the NDZ of the coastal regulation zone, Vaz said that the Coastal Zone Regulation Management Authority (CRZMA) has to act in the matter.

Nehra faces allegations of constructing a road and cutting down trees in the NDZ, actions that violate CRZ regulations. Gram sabha members demanded that the authorities concerned take immediate action to restore the land and remove any illegal constructions.

The gram sabha also passed a resolution opposing Sunburn and seeking Konkani in Roman script be accorded the status on par with the Devanagari by amending the Official Language Act.