The villagers of Chimbel on Thursday made it clear that they will go ahead with their sched uled maha andolan, at 10 am on Friday, January 30, rejecting what they de scribed as the State govern ment’s attempt to defuse a growing agitation through press releases instead of official action. The location of the maha andolan however has been changed from Azad Maidan, Panjim to Gandhi Circle, Old Goa, after the govern ment imposed prohibito ry Section 163 of BNSS in Panjim. The protest is aimed at demanding formal written communication from the government confirming the scrapping of the con troversial Unity Mall and Prashashan Stambh pro jects from Chimbel, even as villagers cautiously acknowledged a Tourism Department press release indicating plans to relocate the projects. Chimbel Biodiversity Management Commit tee and Wetland Toyyar Lake chairman Govind Shirodkar said the agi tation would proceed as scheduled, stressing that the protest goes beyond the two projects and re flects wider resistance to unchecked development across Goa.
