Panaji, Dec 15 (TOI): Former Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) chairman Praveen Agarwal has alleged in separate letters to the chief vigilance commissioner (CVC) and secretary, Union shipping ministry, that officials of the Goa government have connived with private five-star hoteliers to encroach on MPT land within 50 yards of the high tide line (HTL).
The letters state that so far six hotels have been allowed to squat on MPT property.
"This violates the government of India notification which states that any property within 50 yards of HTL which does not belong to private persons as on Goa's liberation day, December 19, 1961, should belong to MPT,'' the letters add.
Agarwal shot off the letters dated December 5, 2010, to CVC P J Thomas and Union ministry of shipping secretary K Mohandas in response to chief minister Digambar Kamat's letter to the prime minister and Union minister of shipping.
Kamat had alleged that MPT's massive developmental activities were being done without any attention to the fallout on the fragile environment of Goa; that MPT's operations would affect tourism activities in the state; and that people and state government are against the visions and plans of MPT to implement infrastructure projects.
"Over the years, private parties and state government officials have connived to take away/transfer various lands belonging to MPT within 50 yards of the HTL. In the process, MPT has lost lands having present market value exceeding thousands of crores of rupees. Efforts of MPT to retrieve such lands have been continuously thwarted by the state government. So much so that land areas have been given away by the state government without any consent/approval from the board of MPT to various hotels," the letters further allege. Agarwal has named the six hotels.
The letters which were also sent to planning commission members and officials of the ministry of environment and forests, ministry of commerce, and ministry of roads, "are based on the knowledge about facts gathered during the course of my posting as Chairman, MPT", Agarwal told TOI when contacted.
In his letters, Agarwal has alleged that the state government is recovering revenue from shack owners who are allowed to set up shacks on the coastline of Goa during the tourist season. "Even in respect of shacks which are being erected on MPT lands, the licenses are being issued by the state government, who are also collecting the revenues, bypassing the Board of MPT. There are numerous other violations of the environment laws and CRZ on such land areas belonging to Mormugao Port. All these violations have been condoned and overlooked by the Goa government," the letter alleged.
"It is therefore earnestly requested that as and when the allegations in the above referred letters from the CM, Goa, are looked into and discussed with the Goa state government officers, an impartial and unbiased group of senior officers of the Central government may also like to examine the reasons why the state government is obstructing/objecting to vitally needed infrastructure augmentation projects," the former chairman has stated in his letters.
When contacted, chief minister Digambar Kamat, said, "I will not comment on officers who have demitted their office."