VASCO: Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) along with the villagers who had submitted a memorandum to the authorities recently is yet to receive any satisfactory reply.
They had submitted this petition to the various offices under the district administration of South Goa and South Western Railway (SWR) asking them to scrap land acquisition and withdraw the land acquisition notice.
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Olencio Simoes, GRE general secretary, said the villagers are strongly objecting to the intention of acquiring land from Kalem to Vasco city for the special project ,namely Hospet-Hubli-Tinaighat-Vasco-da-Gama for doubling the railway track.
Locals expressed their surprise to see the notice dated July 19, stating that their ancestral land will be acquired for the doubling of rail track project, despite the objections sent for the same.
Olencio added that the same acquisition published over a decade ago, had also been opposed by the Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim panchayat ,Velsao-Pale-Issorsim panchayat and by other panchayats too.
Their memorandum further highlights that there are several ancestral houses situated within close proximity of the already existing railway line at Cansaulim Railway station, which have suffered damages.
The locals further stated that, “It was also tabled in the last monsoon session that 4,500 cases of respiratory disorders including Asthma, Tuberculosis had been treated in GMC alone from Mormugao taluka. Therefore if the double railway line is constructed, then coal pollution will spread multifold, which will then accelerate the chronic health problems.”
GRE further claimed that the transportation of coal and other hazardous cargo, will destroy their heritage houses, churches, eco-sensitive water bodies, farmers’ livelihoods, paddy fields, indigenous habitats, cashew and coconut orchards and natural vegetation of their villages.
Locals also pointed out that their villages do not have rail over bridges at the various Cansaulim-Arossim, Velsao-Pale, Arossim, Seraulim etc crossings, due to which, the public have to wait for a long time. “We have already lost lives of several children and villagers,” said Olencio.
Locals added that they are likely to intensify their agitation if they see no change in the immediate future.
“As you know, the Goa Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 has been invoked on the view of COVID-19 and The Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme of DHS has issued advisories on ‘Social Distancing Measures. Therefore any affected owners travelling to your office at Vasco from Kalem will be highly dangerous as the virus can spread to others easily to other areas,” the petition added.
