SGPDA says Sonsoddo land unsuitable for Kabrasthan.

0
530

 

With the contentious issue of setting up the Kabrasthan in Margao under the scanner of the High Court, the SGPDA in a written letter to the Margao Municipal Council regarding feasibility of land has said that the 30,000 sqm of land acquired at Sonsoddo is unsuitable for constructing a Kabrasthan purely on technical grounds.

It is learnt that firstly the land is identified as Private Forest by the Thomas and Araujo Committee and as such no development can be allowed on such land since the NGT has stayed any development permissions on all such lands identified as private forests.

Secondly, the nature of land too has rendered it unsuitable. As per the report, majority of the land is sloppy in nature, since the entire land is located on a hill opposite the Sonsoddo garbage treatment plant. While the approach road section has a gradient that is developable and has also been given filling (17A) permission, the majority of the land beyond that has a gradient above 25% (almost 33%) which makes it unsuitable for development since such land falls in the NDZ category.

Furthermore in the current ODP for Margao a portion of this acquired land has been shown as Low Cost Housing and for setting up a 33kV Sub Station.

It might also be worth mentioning that this land shares a boundary with an existing Catholic cemetery. In the past when elected representatives have gone to inspect this land, locals from the Catholic community in the area gathered and the situation became tense as even a priest was attacked by the locals. With technical difficulties and local opposition an alternative land was suggested in Khareband, which was primarily flat land and also had a mosque in its vicinity which would be most suitable for the purpose of a Kabrasthan.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here