SALIGAO: Saligao police have arrested 16 persons including 15 workers over alleged illegal mudfilling activity in the fields at Sonarbhat-Donwaddo in Saligao following a FIR lodged by the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP).
A senior draftsman Dilip Sawant, on behalf of the TCP, filed the FIR under Section 17A of the TCP Act against V Umbraskar for carrying out alleged illegal mudfilling work.
Residents from the locality had lodged a complaint that some illegal mudfilling work was going on in the fields.
PI Sandesh Chodankar of Saligao police station informed that the TCP has filed a FIR against the landowner for carrying out illegal mudfilling work and, acting on the complaint, the police on Saturday arrested 15 workers and the landowner V Umbraskar.
The residents had made a complaint to the Collector in that regard on May 15, and 20 locals had signed the complaint following which the flying squad had inspected the site. Thereafter, a show cause notice was issued to the landowner over the illegal work. The deputy collector Trupti Manerkar (district recovery officer), North Goa flying squad, had signed the show cause notice and instructed the Saligao police to keep a strict vigil on landfilling activities.
On Friday, the police informed the landowner to stop the work as the residents informed the police that the work was being carried out in full swing inspite of the show cause notice issued. As per Eknath Oraskar, sarpanch of Saligao, the village panchayat has issued a stop order to stop the illegal work and that the site will be inspected and a report will be sent to the higher authorities.
Noel Fernandes, a resident and an architect by profession, said that the work was going on for almost a fortnight and it has caused concerns of flooding in the monsoon.
