The authorities Thursday sealed a restaurant built on a property owned by former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar in North Goa’s Pernem for alleged illegal construction on a salt pan.
An order issued by Deputy Collector Pernem Shivprasad Naik Wednesday stated that upon perusal of a report filed by the mamlatdar/talathi of Pernem taluka, certain discrepancies were noted in the survey number 52/1 of Arambol village in Pernem. It said a structure/restaurant by the name ‘Ottello’ having approximately 700 square metre plinth, including wooden cottages erected on permanent plinth, was operating on land owned by Parsekar.
“The wooden pathway/bridge erected in water bodies without obtaining the valid conversion sanad or permissions from the authorities. Gut book also speaks about the survey number 52/1 being covered under water bodies/salt pan,” the order said.
It further said that the survey plan also depicts a major part as a water body. “The regional plan depicts [it] as a salt pan. Form 3 of survey number 52/1 depicts a salt pan,” it added.
“Considering all the above and status of land of survey no 52/1 of Arambol village, [it] clearly proves that the structures mentioned above by the talathi have been erected in the salt pan without obtaining any permissions from the government authorities and being used for the commercial activities,” it said. Considering the incident took place at Romeo Lane in Arpora village, it is necessary to take precautions to save the lives of the people who visit that place, the order said.
“Since the said structures are running without obtaining the permissions from the competent authorities…there is a need to stop the operations immediately in order to safeguard the lives of the people. Hence, I hereby order the mamlatdar of Pernem taluka to seal all the premises of survey number 52/1 of Arambol village immediately by vacating the people therein and report compliance,” it said.
Former BJP leader Parsekar was the chief minister of Goa between 2014 and 2017. He, however, denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he had leased the property to another person, who had been operating the restaurant.
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“My role ends when I lease out the property. It is for the person who has leased the property to get the required permissions,” he told media persons.
