Police dragged the MLA out of the office, the matter is related to land dispute

Panaji: After an overnight protest against the decision to change the use of a land in Goa, the police dragged Revolutionary Goa Party (RGP) MLA Viresh Borkar and several villagers out of the office of the Town and Country Planning Department on Saturday morning. After the MLA and the villagers were thrown out like this, now a political dispute has started. Let us tell you that about 84,000 square meters of land in Palem-Siridao village of St. Andre assembly constituency of North Goa was converted from non-habitat area to habitation area by the Town and Country Planning Department using Section 39-A of the Act. The villagers allege that this is misuse of the section.

‘This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable’

In protest against this decision of the department, about 100 residents of the village, mostly women, reached the TCP office on Friday and continued protesting throughout the night demanding immediate cancellation of the order. The police team reached the office on Saturday morning and forcibly threw out the protesters including MLA Viresh Borkar. In the video, policemen were seen picking up the MLA and taking him out, after which Borkar accused the police of assault. “This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable,” he said. I am an MLA and the assembly session has already been called by the Governor. No such action can be taken against me without the permission of the House Speaker.

Minister Rane called the protesters ‘blackmailers’

Borkar told that he spoke to the Assembly Speaker on phone and the Speaker clearly said that he had no prior information about this police action. The MLA has filed a breach of privilege application against the misbehaving police officers. Meanwhile, the protesters have now chosen a different place to continue their protest. MLA Viresh Borkar has also announced to launch an indefinite hunger strike demanding cancellation of the land use plan. On the other hand, Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane has flatly refused to cancel the order, calling the protesters ‘blackmailers’.

Many opposition leaders came out in support of Borkar

After this incident with Borkar and the villagers, many opposition leaders came out in their support. Opposition leader Yuri Alemao, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Venji Viegas, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Sunil Kavthankar and Aam Aadmi Party East Goa unit president Amit Palekar and other leaders took part in the ongoing protest at Azad Maidan. Let us tell you that the budget session of Goa Assembly is going to start from March 6, in such a situation this controversy may heat up further. Villagers and MLA say that they will not stop until the disputed order is cancelled.

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