Access to Toyyar Lake in Chimbel, Goa, has allegedly been blocked by construction debris and gravel dumped along the route to the water body during the construction of the BJP’s state office on the Kadamba plateau, activists and local residents told the Times of India.
ST activist Govind Shirodkar and some residents alleged that the obstruction had prevented villagers from using the traditional path leading to the lake. They urged authorities to remove the debris immediately and restore access to the water body.
“They have blocked our path. They have dumped gravel along the path and other debris. The BJP office may be a five star or a seven star but the way they have blocked the access to the Toyyar Lake, they will struggle,” Shirodkar was quoted as saying.
The dispute places a local access route at the centre of a larger question over how construction activity interacts with community access to water bodies and open spaces. The report said residents use the lake for daily water needs and that they would become increasingly dependent on it as the monsoon season nears its end.
Shirodkar said the issue was not directed against the government, but called on BJP state president Damu Naik and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to visit the site and assess the alleged obstruction. “This is not against govt. This is a question for BJP state president Damu Naik and chief minister Pramod Sawant. They should come and see what they have done here,” he said.
According to the allegations reported by the Times of India, local villagers have been inconvenienced because the earlier route to Toyyar Lake was incorporated into the compound of the BJP office. Residents also alleged that an attempt was made to create a new access road on land marked as open space.
The allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report, and it does not include a response from the BJP, the state government or the authorities responsible for the site. The immediate demand from residents is that the debris be cleared and the earlier access to Toyyar Lake restored.