Furore has erupt ed along the South Western Railway (SWR) double-track ing corridor after Cansaulim residents accused senior railway officials linked to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) of forcefully trespassing onto their private property, de molishing nearly 20 metres of their laterite compound wall and uprooting age-old trees without any intimation or consent. The incident, now formally reported to the Verna Police Station, adds to the recurring pattern of similar complaints raised by families living along the alignment. In their written complaint, landowners Maria Celina De Souza Antao and Joaquim Celiano Antao said they were shocked to discover the wall smashed at two points and trees inside the property uprooted when they reached the site recently. According to the complaint, senior rail way officials attached to the RVNL–SWR double-tracking works were present at the spot and “accepted that they broke the wall with a JCB” when confronted. The land owners wrote that the tres pass was carried out without consent, without notice and without any official commu nication. Photographs were submitted along with a re quest for the registration of a criminal case, reconstruction of the wall and a prohibition on further intrusion. Sources told OHeraldo that police had not acted on the complaint as of Friday, a situation residents say mir rors several earlier cases in which complaints linked to the double-tracking works were not addressed prompt ly. Locals argue that this lack of swift enforcement has emboldened agencies and al lowed violations to continue unchecked. Civil society expressed strong concern. Goencho Ekvott (GE) founder member Orville Dourado Rodrigues said the allegations highlight yet again how Goans’ rights are being disregarded. “Employees of RVNL have transcended every norm of civil decency and are acting as if they are in occupation of private land in Goa,” he said. He added, “The reported criminal trespass into pri vate property in Cansaulim, demolition of ancient bound ary walls and felling of fruit-bearing trees without officially seeking the con sent of the landowner must attract the provisions of BNS 329 in addition to other sec tions. Goans will not tolerate such arbitrary acts which are bound to create tension in our otherwise peaceful exist ence in Goa.” The plight of residents along the double-tracking corridor was highlighted at the recent anti-coal pub lic meeting held at Lohia Maidan in Margao, where speaker after speaker de scribed repeated trespass, property damage and fear among families living near the alignment. While the Chief Minister attempted to play down these concerns at the meeting, the Cansaulim incident underscores that these long-standing griev ances remain unaddressed and continue to escalate on the ground. With no police action yet on the complaint, the Antao family is awaiting account ability, as public anger rises again in villages affected by SWR’s double-tracking works.
Cansaulim Residents Allege Illegal Trespass and Demolition by RVNL Officials Along SWR Double-Tracking Corridor
