GAURESH SATTARKAR
Residents of Mirabag have launched what they describe as a decisive battle against the proposed Bandara pro ject, beginning an indefinite sit-in protest from Tuesday along the banks of the Zuari River, directly challenging what they allege is a government-imposed project pushed without consent or transparency. The agitation follows months of mounting anger among residents of at least eight affected villages, who have re peatedly accused the contractor, the local panchayat and the State government of bulldozing the project despite sustained opposition. Villagers say their objections have been ignored ever since the project was proposed. Tensions escalated on Monday when villagers physically halted work at the site by stopping machinery, forcing the contractor to flee. Police were deployed to protect government officials and con tractors present at the location, under scoring the growing confrontation be tween residents and the authorities. “The government has tried to impose this project on us. We met everyone — the Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs — requesting them to scrap the project. This pro ject is extremely dangerous for three constituencies and the entire Zuari river belt. People have now understood the consequences, and that is why they are active and ag gressive. All concerned MLAs, sarpanchas, panches and councillors must stand with the people and their villages to ensure this project is scrapped. If any elected represent ative makes statements that harm the protest, we will sit on a dharna outside their houses. We do not want to take the law into our hands; our protest will remain peaceful,” said Aapa Naik. Villagers are demanding that the Bandara project be scrapped in its entirety and not permitted anywhere with in their villages or along the Zuari River. They have also demanded that the government place the complete project report and a detailed presentation in the public domain — something they allege has not been done despite construc tion work having already begun. Protesters said the affected villages were never taken into confidence before work commenced, calling the pro cess a blatant violation of democratic consultation and en vironmental accountability. From Tuesday, the entire village has joined the indefinite strike, with protesters declaring that the agitation will con tinue until the government provides a written assurance confirming that the project has been scrapped. The protest has drawn support from activists and concerned citizens from across Goa. “People are being misled by claims that the project is beneficial, but that is completely false. This project offers nothing for the betterment of Mirabag residents. Instead, it will destroy our villages, our homes, our farms and, most importantly, our Zuari River. We will not allow this to hap pen. The Bandara project has been brought only to fill a few people’s stomachs. We have started this strike and will continue it until all our demands are fulfilled,” said Sanket Bhandari, another villager. Although the contractor removed machinery from the site on Monday, villagers pointed out that the trench dug earlier has not been refilled. Protesters have therefore de cided to continue their sit-in, insisting that nothing short of a written government announcement scrapping the Bandara project will bring the agitation to an end.
