The recent news of the formation of Calangute PDA Office under The North Goa Planning and Development Authority is creating debates among the villagers of Candolim and Calangute. Some interested persons are shouting at the top of their voices against its formation by saying that all the illegal houses built mainly on the coastal belt will be demolished once PDA Office is formed. But first of all who authorized the concerned authorities to allow illegal constructions? Were the local authorities sleeping when the illegal houses constructed? Was it done by accepting bribes or no with the silent nod of the local authorities? Very many of the ignorant locals succumbed to the monetary greed of the local authorities with a false promise saying “you pay us so much and construct your house”. In this way they have converted innumerable settlements of non-Goans mainly of the migrant labourers and made them the citizens of Goa to gain their votes.
It is these illegal dwelling owners who mortgaged themselves to the threats of the corrupt local authorities who say during the election time, “if you do not vote for our candidates then we will demolish your illegally built houses”. In this way some of the corrupt candidates are continuously getting elected by blackmailing the innocent guilty voters and thus accumulating ill gotten wealth about which the concerned authorities must conduct thorough investigation.
From the noise that is going on now in our locality it looks formation of PDA Office in Calangute is going to be a big threat. Will Heaven fall if PDA Office is formed for our locality? Who will lose more? It is the local corrupt authorities and their corrupt elected members who are extorting heavy bribes for issuing licenses for any construction in the locality. It is these people who will lose their illegal bribe taking business.
By accumulating enormous wealth thru extortion of bribe some of the local politicians are acting like village “Dadas” and feudal lords though till recently they were acting like beggars. However, when political and financial power came into their hands, as sons and daughters of hoi-polloi parents, they started acting like local Maharajas.
Those who are opposing the establishment of PDA Office in Calangute must first declare openly the genuine ill effect of it.
I have today spoken to the local MLA Michael Lobo on this subject and he assured me that no houses built illegally will be demolished and he will try his best to regularize the same.
About bribe taking as it is done currently by the local authorities, he said he will see that this does not happen once everything is come under the PDA.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.