A joint site in spection of land ear marked for the proposed Unity Mall at Chimbel is slated to start today, a day after inconclusive talks between Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and pro testing villagers. Even as the exercise begins, vil lagers reiterated their de mand for demarcation of the entire 4.5 lakh square metres of land, insisting that the inspection should not be limited to the con troversial mall site. While protesters vowed to continue their agi tation, the Chief Minis ter told reporters after Wednesday’s meeting that the project had pro gressed substantially. He said materials and equip ment had already been procured and Rs 25 crore of Central funds had been spent on the planned steel structure. The inspection aims to examine the zone of influ ence and drainage lines of Toyyar Lake in Survey No. 40/1 — a commitment Sawant made during talks. Representatives of Chim bel village, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), the Goa State Bio diversity Board, and the scientist who prepared an independent report for the villagers are participating. Only five villagers will be allowed on-site during the inspection.
However, villagers oppose the limited scope. They are de manding a comprehensive survey of the entire Toyyar Lake wetland, including inflow and outflow channels, sub-sur face and underground water channels, and the highest wa ter mark, strictly in line with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. At Wednesday’s meeting, Sawant had directed officials to conduct a joint inspection of Survey No. 40/1 to examine the zone of influence and drainage lines of Toyyar Lake. Villagers remain firm that the inspection must cover the entire land parcel, not just the proposed mall site. Adding to their concerns, villagers have flagged contra dictions in two NIO reports. According to them, the first re port lists the wetland area as 1.55 hectares with a zone of influence of 26.31 hectares, while the second lists 1.7 hec tares with a zone of influence of 34.81 hectares. Report I is being circulated by the Goa State Wetland Authority, while Report II is accessible only through physical inspection of the Toyyar Lake files. Chimbel Biodiversity Management Committee member and Toyyar Lake Wetland chairman Govind Shirodkar said the delegation had raised objections to the ‘incorrect noti fication’ of Toyyar Lake dated September 30, 2021. “We are demanding inspection of the entire 4.5 lakh square metres, not just 20,000 sq metres of the proposed Unity Mall. We will oppose a restricted inspection,” he said. Shirodkar also questioned the government’s claims on expenditure. “We were initially told the mall was a four-sto rey structure; it is actually nine floors. The Chief Minister’s statement that Rs 25 crore has been spent is questionable. The site was barricaded and work went on only for about three weeks, beginning with tree felling. We asked the gov ernment to show us evidence of the progress,” he said. Villagers recalled that they had earlier opposed plans for a health city and an IT park at the same location. “Our firm demand is that the entire land be demarcated as wetland,” Shirodkar added. Ajau Kholkar, another villager, said the government had refused to share the detailed project report (DPR). “Unity Malls are usually set up in capital cities, not villages like Chimbel. This project includes commercial shops and a multiplex. We want the entire land demarcated and re-no tified as wetland, as it falls within the zone of influence,” he said. Mahesh Kunkolkar, a villager from the ST community, warned of intensified protests if construction proceeds. “We oppose the Unity Mall. Instead, we want a biodiversity park. Traditionally, ST communities cultivated vegetables here, but this livelihood was destroyed first by a bypass road and later by sewage flowing into the fields,” he said. Questions continue to be raised over the claim that Rs 25 crore has already been spent. A government official, speak ing on condition of anonymity, said trees had been cut and initial structural work begun before it was halted. “Fabri cation work is being carried out at a factory and could be installed at the site within a month,” the official said.
