The South Goa Collector on Saturday demolished 157 illegal structures erected on the Baina beach in the ‘No Development Zone’. Many of them belonged to poor migrant workers from Karnataka.
The action was initiated by South Goa Collector based on the direction issued by Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority. Around 230 police personnel were deployed for security at the site and the migrants were asked to move out. The police had cordoned off the site to disallow any migrant to enter the area.
Mormugao Deputy Collector Sabaji Shetye told presspersons later that they had served demolition notices and had directed the occupants to vacate the area within 15 days. The migrants, however, failed to abide by the order, he said.
Hanumant Harijan, a homeless migrant who lost his home, blamed politicians for their current predicament stating they were looked upon as “vote banks.” He said the examinations of their school-going kids were drawing near. “The kids will be homeless and would have to study under street lights,” he said. South Goa Congress leader Sankalp Amonkar had earlier announced that he would oppose the demolition, but he was conspicuously absent during actual demolition, said some eyewitnesses at the site.
