SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Goyant Kollso Naka (GKN) will be holding a month-long yatra in the State to create awareness of the authorities’ “diabolic” plan to convert Goa into a coal hub through the double-tracking of the railway line.
The awareness campaign will commence on October 2, from Guirdolim, Chandor, which was the capital of the Kadamba Dynasty and stressed the need to create awareness as even the elected MLAs were not aware of the “looming disaster”.
The GKN has challenged the government for an open public debate on the issue.
Briefing the media persons, Convenor Anthony D’Silva while asserting that Goyant Kollso Naka was not a political movement pointed out that the authorities have not told the people and even the elected MLAs about the actual plans, which they discovered when they studied the matter and through replies to various Right to Information applications.
“What is the benefit that Goa or Goans will derive from coal that will be transported through the State?” he asked while pointing out the ill effect of the coal transportation.
Freddy Travasso, from San Jose de Areal who has been at the forefront, opposing the double-tracking said, “Green Goa” will be converted into “black Goa” if it is made a hub for coal transportation.
He pointed out that the authorities did not have any documents and even plans.
“We have been asking them for the plans and to date, they have not shown us what they propose to do in our village,” he said
Nelson Mascarenhas while disclosing that their interaction with different politicians had revealed that even the elected MLAs were kept in the dark and challenged the government to have a public debate on the topic.
It may be pertinent to note that GKN have met MLAs and party functionaries of the Opposition Congress and the ruling BJP.
Felix Furtado from Chandor pointed out that fields in the village are rendered uncultivable due to trespassing by the railway authorities to carry out the work of double-tracking and said the ultimate plan was to have 10 railway tracks at the Chandor railway station by burying not only adjacent fields but even a lake.
Replying to a question of why people from Chandor woke up so late to the problem while San Jose de Areal was opposing the double-tracking from the start, Felix said they realised the truth late and since then the villagers have been objecting to the double-tracking.
Anthony said GKN has studied the Sagarmala Programme, MPT’s Master Plan, National Waterways Act and other documents to conclude that Goa will be converted into a coal hub to supply coal to neighbouring States like Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Diana Travasso argued that not much work on double-tracking is done and pointed out that not even one-third of the allotted budget for double-tracking has been utilised for all these years and further pointed out the railway's documents establish that the work is far behind schedule.
Abhijit Prabudessai said they were using the democratic process of creating awareness with the hope that the government will listen to the people failing which he added other options including moving the courts will be explored at the relevant time.
