Colva panchayat to revoke all demolition notices

MARGAO: Bowing to public pressure, the Colva panchayat on Wednesday, at the panchayat body meeting held on Thursday, unanimously decided to "revoke/recall/rescind" all the demolition notices issued to the villagers for violating the CRZ norms.
It was further decided to issue fresh show cause notices to the villagers and examine the legality of each case individually.
It was further resolved that the panchayat will appoint a new lawyer to present the case before the high court with a view to protecting the interests of the villagers.
In order to facilitate the examination of each case individually, it was decided to review the cases in batches of 25 and assist the affected villagers by providing legal guidance.
A large crowd of anxious villagers and huge posse of policemen were present near the panchayat building on Wednesday morning. It may be recalled that the Colva gramsabha had demanded that the panchayat recall the demolition notices forthwith.
The issue also found an echo at the south Goa zilla panchayat meeting held on Wednesday, with ZP member Nelly Rodrigues demanding that the structures should not be demolished and that a fresh survey be conducted to identify the structures violating CRZ guidelines. "Structures existing well before 1991 have also been identified for demolition by the panchayat. This is unfair. The authorities should regularize the structures within the CRZ that are shown on the survey plans," Rodrigues demanded.