Saligao: Locals of Bastora are irked over the concretisation of the village’s fields even as the authorities turned a blind eye saying the land is “marked as settlement area on RP2021”. The sarpanch of Bastora went to the extent of expressing his helplessness in the matter saying that when the owner of the field “graciously” gave up 800-900 sqm land for the construction of the underpass how could they not grant him NOC to construct a temporary structure.The structures in question have been constructed by the tenant of a field at ‘Tari Kode’ in Bastora. Seven to eight concrete structures resembling small shops have been built, convener of Bastora village development committee, Andrew D’Souza told TOI.Bastora sarpanch Savio Martins said, “The entire land in that area is marked as settlement area on RP 2021 and the panchayat cannot demolish as it is not cultivable land. Plus, how can we initiate action when we gave him NOC to construct a temporary structure.”Martins added that the structures in question were the temporary ones built earlier by PWD contractor for labourers. “The earlier structures were built of laterite and had tin roofs. Now the owner has only plastered and made them pucca,” he said.It may be recalled that PWD had constructed temporary tin-sheet structures in the fields to house labour employed for the bypass construction work.D’Souza said RP 2021 was faulty and was ambiguously implemented. “But the main issue is that this land is tenanted land and it cannot be changed to settlement,” he said, adding that if the concretisation is allowed, it would attract penal provisions of Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964.

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