The indefi nite sit-in ‘Amka Bandhara Naka’ protest by the villag ers of Mirabag entered its 12th day on Friday, even as Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar said the government would make a detailed PowerPoint pres entation on the proposed Bandhara project to the villagers next week. The announcement comes amid intensifying opposition, with villagers remaining firm in their demand that the contro versial project be scrapped entirely. While the govern ment has offered a techni cal presentation, protest ers argue that work began without adequate trans parency or prior public consent. Shirodkar said on Fri day that the government is prepared to present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the contro versial 50 MLD Bandhara project either on February 26 or 27, in what appears to be an attempt to address mounting public anger.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have stepped in to back the villagers’ demand, turning the local agitation into a broader political flashpoint. Goa Forward Party (GFP) president and MLA Vijai Sarde sai, who visited the protest site, claimed that the govern ment intends to spend Rs 400 crore to push ahead with the project despite strong public opposition. He suggested that the move serves vested interests rather than public welfare. “The local people do not want this project. They have not asked for it. The government is going out of way and spending Rs 400 crore. There is personal interest and we will ensure that no project is pushed down the throats of villagers,” Sardesai said, adding that he will raise the issue in the upcoming budget session of the Legislative Assem bly. Sardesai met the protesters and expressed solidarity with their concerns over the project’s implementation. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also extended active support to the ongoing agitation against the proposed bar rage project at Mirabag, Sanvordem, further escalating po litical pressure on the government. AAP State President Valmiki Naik, senior vice president Sandesh Teleikar-Dessai, Rajesh Gaonkar and Arjun Gurav visited the protest site and expressed solidarity with the villagers. Naik alleged that the project represents yet another an ti-people initiative by the BJP government and raised ques tions about its financial and technical integrity. “This is a new scam to provide water for industrialist friends of the BJP, at a cost of not just the inflated tender of Rs 280 crore, but also at the cost of 500 homes, River Zuari ecology, and the religious sentiments of villagers of nine villages. AAP stands firmly with the people of Mirabag. The discrepancy in government documents points towards a big scam in this project,” Naik alleged. Teleikar-Dessai said, “Every village has now become a land of resistance, and AAP will support this movement till the end. Goans are now awake and will rise against the government. If villagers are opposing the Mirabag Barrage, who is to benefit from this project?” he questioned. Villagers fear that more than 500 homes could be affect ed if the project proceeds. Several social organisations and NGOs have also joined the protest, extending their support to what has evolved into a broader movement questioning the government’s development priorities and transparen cy. Despite the minister’s promise of a presentation next week, protesters have made it clear that they will continue the indefinite sit-in until the government issues a written assurance scrapping the Bandhara project altogether.
