MARGAO: Around 40 to 50 members of Orixtt Porjecho Awaz and villagers of Naqueri-Betul waived black flags at the delegates and attendees of the Defence Expo 2016 at Quitol.
As the protestors were not allowed to protest at public areas, they gathered at a private property attached to the road leading to the DefExpo site and waived black flags and held placards opposing the Defence expo in Quitol. They later held a demonstration at a private property near the ONGC property near Quitol. Related DefExpo reports Pg 2 >>
They have claimed that the locals, as well as others from across Goa, had begun to realise why they were protesting. Several villagers have also complained about the harsh noise created by fighter planes in the Aero show.
OPA has alleged that the DefExpo had caused severe traffic jams and several accidents on the route towards the Expo, due to which the locals were inconvenienced on Monday.
“Though the Goa Police was handling the traffic, there was huge traffic chaos from Cuncolim to the Dandeawaddo junction, coupled with accidents, which worsened the situation. Traffic was diverted to bypass the protests, but we wouldn’t have disrupted the attendees,” said Congress Spokesperson Avinash Tavares, adding, “This is a lesson to Goa Police; such huge events can’t be held in rural and interior areas.”
Marcus, a Naqueri-Betul panch, said, “The people of Betul, who were initially not with us, have now complained that they were highly inconvenienced by the noises of the fighter jets performing at the Aero show. All that we have been warning about and opposing all this time is now coming true and people are actually being inconvenienced.”
The protestors and residents of Fatorpa have also expressed anger at the bad handling of the waste, which was alleged dumped in their village.
Everything went as planned at the DefExpo site at Quitol, except for the traffic jams on almost all the narrow roads to the site. The dignitaries got caught in traffic from Panzorconi to Quitol.
