Team Herald
MARGAO: Over 130 members of the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community have united in opposition to the proposed high-level Borim bridge across the Zuari River at Loutolim. They have collectively appealed to the Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) in New Delhi to intervene.
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The ST communities submitted a signed petition, urgently requesting the Commission’s intervention to prevent the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, in collaboration with the Goa government and PWD, from proceeding with the construction of the new Borim Bridge and the associated land acquisition in the khazan lands of Loutolim village.
The ST petitioners have brought to the Commission’s attention the Goa government’s plan for proposed 60-metre-wide bridge that would cut through their meticulously maintained khazan lands, which are crucial for their survival. They argue that the existing bridge, situated on the Margao-Ponda Highway, is already at the village’s extreme edge. As such, they propose that constructing a new low-level bridge parallel to the current one would be more logical and less disruptive. The petitioners note that necessary infrastructure and road widening have already been completed in nearby areas, including Fatorda, Arlem, Raia, Camorlim, and Loutolim villages.
Drawing comparisons to other bridge projects in Goa, the petitioners state, “The Atal Setu bridge in Panaji and the Zuari bridge in Cortalim were both constructed parallel to existing bridges. However, the proposed Borim bridge is planned to pass directly through the middle of the khazan lands of our ST communities in Loutolim village.”
The petition also highlights alleged atrocities committed by government officials. The petitioners accuse the Chief Engineer (NH, R & B), PWD, Executive Engineer, WD XV (NH), PWD, and other Goa government officials of misusing their powers to forcibly usurp their lands and displace them without legitimate public cause.
They argue that these actions constitute atrocities under various Sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, read in conjunction with Sections of the Indian Penal Code. The petitioners urge for immediate relief and request both preventive and punitive actions against those responsible.
They state that all the khazans of Loutolim are fully utilised, supporting the organic cultivation of traditional rice varieties by over 4,000 indigenous residents. Furthermore, they note that the auctions of fishing rights by the seven tenants’ associations generate crores of rupees annually, underscoring the economic vitality of these traditional lands.
