Azossim locals protest ‘hotel’ project, plan to move court

PANJIM: Several locals from Azossim, under the banner of Goencho Avaaz, on Thursday, raised strong objection to the ongoing hotel project in their village by a minister’s brother allegedly on a khazan land identified as Ecological Sensitive Zone (ESZ) under Regional Plan 2021.

The villagers even staged a protest at Agassaim police station in the morning alleging that they were falsely implicated in charges of molestation and trespassing. 

Addressing media persons, Goencho Avaaz co-convenor Captain Viriato Fernandes said that the Minister’s brother is undertaking a hotel project illegally in Survey No 36 in Azossim village, which is primarily a khazan land and falls under ESZ as per RP 21. 

“Despite the same, the Town and Country Planning department went ahead in granting technical clearance and even the local panchayat has issued licences,” Fernandes said adding “around 3200 sq mtrs of the khazan land is arbitrarily being converted into settlement in the RP 21 in a bid to facilitate the project”. 

Fernandes said that the villagers are in the dark as to what kind of project it is as though initially it looks like a hotel project. He alleged that both panchayat and TCP have declined to grant information under RTI. 

The villagers have demanded that the construction work, which is going on in full swing, be stopped immediately while undertaking the restoration of land. Goencho Avaaz is also planning to move the Court with a public interest litigation challenging the legality of the project.