Team Herald
BICHOLIM: The villagers of Mathawada-Sarmanas, Pilgao, on Tuesday, once again blocked the trucks from transporting iron ore via alternate route through their fields.
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This is the second such blockade within a week as the residents of Sarmanas, Pilgao had foiled a similar attempt. The company on Tuesday tried to transport ore through an alternate route at Mathawada-Sarmanas, but this bid too was foiled by the villagers. The local farmers and a large number of women along with Pilgao sarpanch Mohini Jalmi and panchayat member Ujwala Betkekar blocked the road and did not allow the company to use the road to transport ore-laden trucks.
The villagers, mostly belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community, said that the alternative road found by the mining company is the place where the locals worship their deity during the Holi, Shigmo and other festivals.
The distance between the earlier road and the alternate road is around 200 metres.
Some young farmers feared that the road would pass through their land and that their crops would be destroyed. The senior citizens, who also hit the road to stop the ore transportation, said that they had been cultivating their fields for the last 60 years.
Laxman Kavlekar, a senior citizen said, “The mining company had already destroyed our fields. They are now trying to destroy our other fields by transporting ore which we will not allow, come what may.”
Panchayat member Ujwala Betkekar said, “The mining company is trying to destroy fields. The road, which the company is trying to ply their trucks, is used by students and if allowed, it will pose risk to them. The entire village will unite to foil the company’s plans.”
Supporting the villagers, Sarpanch Mohini Jalmi said, “Ninety per cent of the residents belong to the ST community who are earning their livelihood by cultivating their fields for the past several years. In the past, the villagers had objected to the transportation of ore through their fields. I want the company officials to take locals into confidence or else face their wrath if they go ahead with surveying the alternate route. For the first time the villagers have taken this recourse because of the injustice done to them by the mining company.”
Sudhakar Vaingankar, a farmer from Sarmanas, said, “The mining company is illegally trying to find an alternate route. This is against environmental clearance (EC) granted to it. We had demanded compensation and jobs, but the company has gone against it. We will not allow them to transport ore through our fields.”
