Panaji: Goa Governor Mridula Sinha asked the State’s Chief Secretary, Dharmendra Sharma, to take appropriate action on a complaint filed by activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues against an illegal bungalow built by Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar in Old Goa. This was confirmed to The Hindu by a Raj Bhavan spokesperson on Wednesday.
On April 9, in a petition to the Archaeological Survey of India, Goa Circle, copied to the Governor and the Prime Minister, Mr. Rodrigues alleged that Mr. Madkaikar’s company, Nikitasha Realtors, had built a palatial bungalow in Old Goa, which violated the law by being within 300 metres from the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO heritage monument.
The bungalow’s compound wall was less than 50 metre from the protected monument.
The ASI, in its reply on April 10, had informed Mr. Rodrigues that it does not have the magisterial powers either for removal of encroachment or for demolition of illegal structures and asked him to approach the local authorities for further action in the matter. The ASI also told him that it had asked the Old Goa Police to register an FIR against Mr. Madkaikar over the unauthorised compound wall, copying local authorities, including the North Goa Collector and the local panchayat, but no action was taken.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mr. Madkaikar said that his bungalow was legal in every way and he was willing to offer documents related to his newly constructed house to any authority for examination. “I have all the approvals, licences from the authorities,” he said. “If required I will present it before appropriate authority.”
