Ponda: Villagers of Usgao have demanded that their panchayat acquire and earmark at least five lakh sqm land belonging to the comunidade in the Mharvasaddo area for housing for locals.Sunday’s gram sabha of the Usgao-Ganjem village panchayat witnessed opposition from locals to sale of the comunidade land to outsiders. They feared that the village natives would be outnumbered if lands were sold to any outsiders.Rohan Naik, a resident of Usgao, said several locals presently live in congested houses, and suggested that the panchayat acquire at least five lakh sqm land at Mharvasaddo, divide it into 300-sqm plots, and sell these to the villagers so that they may build their homes.Locals also objected to the proposed house tax hike and requested that it be minimised. Sarpanch Sanjay Gaude said the panchayat would write to govt.
