GAURESH SATTARKAR
After 49 days of an unrelenting day and-night vigil, it was an emotional victory for the residents of Mirabag on Monday as the State govern ment officially declared that the controversial bandhara would be marked as can celled on the project file. The breakthrough came during a high-stakes meet ing with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, ending a tense standoff that had seen locals issue a 48-hour ulti matum and threaten a mass protest at Azad Maidan, Panjim. The Chief Minister also assured that all cases filed against four protesters would be withdrawn, the damaged road would be re paired with hot mix, and the dug-up areas would be re filled. Protesters were fur ther instructed to file an RTI application and collect the official cancellation copy by Wednesday. Monday turned out to be a dramatic and tense day. After issuing the ultimatum to the government, the Mirabag protesters had announced that they would gather at Azad Maidan, if their demands were not met. With no re sponse from authorities, they decided to move for ward with their plan. Sensing the growing impact of the protest, the government imposed Sec tion 163 to prevent gath erings. Despite this, the protesters remained firm and began their journey towards Panjim. Heavy police deployment was seen on all access routes, with authorities attempt ing to stop them from proceeding. Amid rising tension, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reached out to the protesters, urging them to trust him and withdraw the protest, assuring that he would personally meet them at Mirabag. Howev er, when he later visited Sanguem for a Primary Health Centre inaugu ration function without meeting the protesters, frustration grew.
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Determined, the protesters resumed their journey, only to be stopped by police at the Mirabag bridge. In protest, they sat on the road, refusing to move. The standoff continued as they even had their lunch at the same spot, turning the blockade into a symbol of resistance. Later, after the CM’s official function, six protesters were invited for talks at the Margao government guest house. However, the protesters stood united, insisting that everyone would participate in the discussion. After initial resistance, police allowed the entire group to proceed. In a decisive moment, the CM addressed the protesters along with local MLA Ganesh Gaonkar and Sanguem constituency MLA Subhash Phal De sai and publicly assured them that the project would be cancelled, cases withdrawn, and all damages repaired. The announcement sparked an emotional wave among the protesters. Many, especially women who had stood strong for 49 days, were seen in tears of relief, victory, and resilience. Shortly after, the protesters offi cially declared that they were calling off the agitation following the Chief Minister’s assurance. “Not just for 49 days, we have been opposing this bandhara project even before that. We held many meetings with the Chief Minister and had several arguments with the government. Finally, the government has bowed down in front of the people. The Chief Minister is now ready to scrap the bandhara and also provide a written confirmation of its cancel lation. The credit for this victory goes to the people, the media, activists, women, and citizens from all three constituencies, as well as the political parties who supported us,” said Apa Naik, a protester. The emotions were clearly visible, but many found it difficult to fully express their happiness at that moment, as the discussions had taken place away from their home ground. However, when they returned to Mi rabag the atmosphere transformed into celebration. What once seemed impossible had finally been achieved. The protest ers called it a victory of unity and determination, giving credit to the me dia, local citizens, and activists who stood firmly with them throughout the 49-day struggle. “Today’s tears are tears of happiness. We stood here for 49 days, and this victory would not have been possible without the support of the media, local people, and activists. The media helped carry our voices forward, and we are truly thankful to them, as well as to every activist who stood by us. If they had not supported us, this government would have drowned our village. I also thank the government for scrapping this bandhara project. We are very happy with this decision,” said Ashwini Naik, another protester. This marks not just the end of a protest, but the beginning of a powerful example of how people’s voices can lead to real change.
