Chimbel, 4th June 2023 – The ordinary Chimbel Gram Sabha held today at Chimbel Panchayat witnessed an overwhelming response from the villagers. The Gram Sabha hall was packed to its capacity, with many villagers standing in the hall corridor and outside due to the lack of seating space. Approximately one thousand people attended the meeting to address the core issue of saving village land measuring 42,000 sq. meters from the clutches of the builder lobby, represented by Ms. Piroj Dalal in survey no. 57/2 Sheren-Gaulembhat, Chimbel.
During the meeting, Mr. Gurudas Shirodkar, the President of Chimbel Manch, addressed the Gram Sabha, highlighting that Mrs. Piroj Dalal had obtained all the necessary approvals from government authorities, including the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department. The TCP license number for the project is TIS/9529/CHI/TCP/2021/28, dated 7th January 2022.
However, it was revealed that several irregularities had occurred during the approval process, which the government authorities, including the TCP department, had ignored. These irregularities included the exclusion of vital areas such as the village crematorium area of 2000 sq. meters, a 500-meter approaching road, two open spaces of 2300 sq. meters each, and existing forest trees from the approved plan. The Sarpanch, Mr. Sandesh Shirodkar, admitted that the Panchayat had issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Mrs. Piroj Dalal based on the TCP-approved plan without conducting a ground inspection.
Mr. Govind Shirodkar, a villager and tribal leader, revealed that he and 15 other villagers had met with the Sarpanch on 6th May 2023 to discuss how Mrs. Dalal had obtained approval by submitting false information in the TCP-approved plan. The Sarpanch had informed them that the plot development project was passed by the former Secretary, Mrs. Vanita Naik, without the knowledge of the Panchayat body, and no site inspection had been conducted by the Panchayat before issuing the NOC.
During the discussion, Mr. Govind Shirodkar questioned why the Panchayat had not revoked the NOC despite being aware of the false information provided by Mrs. Dalal. He further suggested that the Panchayat may have accepted bribes from the builder, leading them to support Mrs. Piroj Dalal by not revoking the NOC.
Another villager, Mr. Ajay Kholkar, raised concerns about the discrepancy between the NOC being issued to Mrs. Piroj Dalal and the plot development being promoted by the builder known as Adwapalker. The project name given for plot sales promotion is Chimbel Seren Valley by Adwaplakar Resort and Construction in survey no. 57/2. Mr. Kholkar demanded an inquiry into this matter.
Mr. Tukaram K, a villager and the Secretary of Chimbel Manch, reminded the Sarpanch that the plot development work had been halted on 1st May 2023 due to noticed illegalities. The Forest Department had inspected the site and discovered that many forest species and trees had been cut and uprooted. Consequently, the Forest Department had filed an offense against the builder on 3rd May 2023. Additionally, the flying squad team had lodged a complaint with the higher authorities regarding unauthorized land and hill cutting by the builder.
