MARCOS GONSALVES
Even as the State Government aggressively lob bies the Centre for support for the proposed Rs 2,000-crore Antruz Setu, farmers and vil lagers of Loutolim are refus ing to give ground, accusing the government of pushing ahead with a project that threatens fertile khazan lands and the livelihoods of farming families. The proposed eight-kilo metre, four-lane ca ble-stayed bridge across the Zuari River, which is intend ed to replace the ageing Bo rim Bridge and ease traffic congestion between North and South Goa, was present ed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the recently con cluded 237th Indian Roads Congress. Sawant also ap pealed to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and High ways (MoRTH) to continue supporting the project.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
But while the government seeks to project Antruz Setu as a major connectivity ini tiative at the national level, farmers on the ground say the project remains mired in unresolved legal, environ mental and land-acquisition issues. Chairman of the Tenants Association, Loutolim, Albert Pinheiro said the farming community would continue its legal battle to protect its land, questioning the govern ment’s decision to proceed with the acquisition process while the matter remains pending before the courts. “We are determined to fight till the very end to save our agricultural land,” Pinheiro said. “Before the court had even delivered its final verdict, the authorities issued award no tices asking farmers to collect compensation for the land proposed to be acquired. We immediately brought this de velopment to the notice of the court, following which the court verbally instructed the authorities not to proceed with the exercise.
At the next hearing, we will seek a stay and place all these developments before the court.” Pinheiro said the government’s position on the project also appeared to contradict its stated commitment to pro tecting and reviving Goa’s khazan lands. “On one hand, the Chief Minister speaks about reviving 18,000 hectares of khazan land across Goa. On the other, the government is acquiring fertile khazan fields for this bridge project. The same survey numbers have been noti fied as Non-Development Areas (NDA), yet acquisition no tices are being issued for a major development project. We will bring this contradiction before the court because both positions cannot stand together.” He further alleged that key statutory clearances re mained pending. “In our petition before the National Green Tribunal, we have pointed out that forest clearance has not been ob tained for portions of the proposed bridge alignment, al though part of the land falls within forest areas. The acqui sition process is still incomplete, and the government has not taken possession of the land.” Resident Xavier Fernandes said the presentation of the project at a national forum had created the impression that the Antruz Setu was proceeding smoothly, despite continu ing opposition and litigation. “The government may have informed the Centre that the project is moving ahead, but that is far from the truth,” Fernandes said. “Legal proceedings are still underway and several issues remain unresolved. The authorities are cre ating an impression that everything is in order, when that is simply not the case.
We, the residents and farmers, are prepared to go to any extent to protect our agricultural land.” For farmers, however, the dispute goes beyond the ques tion of compensation. Remedious Xavier Fernandes, a farmer from Borim, said the loss of productive agricultural land would deepen the pressure already faced by the farm ing community. “We are not against development, but development can not come at the cost of our fertile agricultural land. These fields have sustained our families for generations. Once this land is taken away, it can never be brought back. We cannot become the victims of a project without being properly consulted or adequately protected. Agriculture is already under pressure from rising costs and labour shortages. Losing productive farmland will only worsen the situation and threaten the livelihoods of farming families,” he said. Pascoal Costa, another farmer from Borim, said the af fected fields represented far more than just real estate to the communities dependent on them. “Our fields are not just pieces of land — they are our source of income, our heritage and our future. We cannot accept a project that destroys our means of livelihood. De cisions affecting our lives cannot be taken without our par ticipation. We want development that benefits everyone, but it must be balanced with the protection of agriculture and the environment.
Farmers should not be asked to bear the entire burden of infrastructure projects,” he said. The confrontation over the Antruz Setu places the State Government’s infrastructure ambitions directly against the future of Goa’s agricultural land.
