Club Mahindras proposed 200room resort in Moitem village of Bardez taluka in North Goa has been opposed by the villagers of Moitem and Assonora. Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Limited purchased the private property in 2012 and received environment clearance to build the resort in March 2013 from the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority. The clearance was extended by two years in March 2018. The project has been opposed after construction works began in 2016. Locals have said that the project is coming up in an ecosensitive area that was originally barred from development under the 2001 edition of the states landuse plans known as Regional Plan. However, the 2021 Regional Plan, which was prepared around 2011, has allowed development on the plot. Goencho Awaz, an environmental action collective that is working with villagers, has also pointed out that the project is situated close to the Assonora river and accused the firm of dumping debris into the river. Villagers have also pointed out that the resort is located close to the governments Assonora Water Treatment Plant that supplies water to large areas of the district. Even a minor wastewater leakage would peril water security in the region. Villagers have held several public meetings in the village assembly (gram sabha) to oppose the project and are contemplating further action. Villagers fear loss of groundwater because the project is located at a site that recharges groundwater. A company spokesperson denied the allegations and told Land Conflict Watch that the company did not seek reclassification of the land use in the Regional Plans. The resort construction is as per conditions laid down by the state environmental authority and pollution control board, the spokesperson said.