Goa Def Expo: Naqueri-Betul panchayat to send show-cause

The Naqueri-Betul panchayat in south Goa today decided to issue a show-cause notice to the organisers of the Defence Expo, to be held later this month.
The 'Gram sabha' meeting by the panchayat saw some unruly scenes, wherein villagers questioned the legality of the Defence Expo which doesn't have the panchayat's permission.
Defence Expo is scheduled to be held at Betul between March 28 to 31, but the locals are opposed to it.
"Gram sabha adopted the resolution that a show-cause notice be issued to the Defence Expo organisers (the Defence Ministry) and the state-run Industrial Development Corporation which owns the land," sarpanch Krishna Sawant told PTI.

However, the panchayat will also seek a legal opinion on the matter, he said, adding that until then the panchayat members, who had signed the resolution, would not take further action.
Some locals, politicians and activists are opposing holding of Defence Expo at Betul claiming that the villagers were not taken into confidence before finalising the site.
The BJP-led government in the state has clarified that only temporary structures would be erected and there would be no permanent acquisition of the land by the Defence Ministry.