PONDA: Bandora sarpanch Nayana Naik has assured Unir villagers of cancelling the NOC given for a sewage treatment plant project that is proposed to come up at Unir-Bandora after locals allegedly held her confined in the panchayat office for around two hours on Thursday evening.
Bandora gram panchayat had a monthly meeting wherein the issue of locals’ objection to the proposed plant was debated. During same time, Unir villagers demonstrated outside the panchayat office demanding cancellation of NOC issued by the panchayat.
After the monthly meeting, the sarpanch and other panch members arrived at a conclusion of finding an amicable solution to people’s objection after a discussion with the concerned authority of the project. Since the panchayat took a decision similar to the one taken a month ago in gram sabha, the locals gathered there got agitated and allegedly restrained the sarpanch in the office demanding cancellation of the NOC.
According to locals, the panchayat had issued a no objection certificate for the Rs 450-crore worth project at Unir-Bandora during a general body meeting of the panchayat in November 2015. They alleged that for the past one year the matter was kept under wraps and not placed before the gram sabhas for an opinion.
During the gram sabha held last month, the panchayat had resolved to find an amicable solution to the issue.
After the gram sabha, the panchayat had held two meetings to discuss the matter but failed to take a stance. It was the third meeting on Thursday wherein the panchayat took a decision to discuss the issue with the concerned authority and find a solution. However, locals were not satisfied with and allegedly confined the sarpanch in her office and allowed her to leave only after an assurance of cancelling the NOC.