Margao: Curtorim gram sabha on Sunday passed a resolution opposing a proposed mega construction project in the village. The members said that the project will contaminate Maina lake and nearby wells, destroy groundwater aquifers, and put pressure on the village’s already strained drinking water supply. Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco was present at the meeting.The project comprises 25 flats and a few shops.Residents raised an alarm about the project’s proximity to the Maina lake, noting that the land was laced with wells, all hydrologically connected to the lake just a few hundred metres away.The gram sabha highlighted that adding around 200 new residents would strain the village’s already scarce water resources, with many households currently facing acute water shortage. Villagers demanded a carrying capacity survey before approving the project.The resolution also called out the unilateral increase in the project’s floor area ratio (FAR) to 100% without the gram sabha’s approval and demanded that the FAR for any future project in the village be capped at 50%.Villagers disputed the claim in the Regional Plan 2021 that a 25m-wide road provides access to the project site, stating that the existing road is only 10m wide. They opposed any attempts to widen the road to 25m.Gram sabha members said that at least 150 families depend on the lake for paddy cultivation. “A polluted lake will make agriculture unproductive and drive farmers away from their fields due to the risk of skin diseases from contaminated water,” the members said.The gram sabha also demanded scrapping two other projects, citing environmental concerns and resource pressures.
