The fight goes on, the good fight, the Xaxtikar’s fight

Near and dear one’s and all engagements and stand up for a land grab. Be it the RP 2010 agitation, Save Goa agitation, the Village Groups agitation against RP 2021, the SEZ agitation or even now, recently Xaxtikar filled up buses and rushed to Tiracol to fight for Goa’s bio-diversity.

Nigel Costa Frias, a noted lawyer from Panjim who provides legal assistance to activists from all over Goa and mostly Salcete to fight against land grab and mega projects, pointed that Goans are very literate and are aware of their rights and the rules. “Salcete is always at the forefront to fight any agitation and lead a march to stand up to preserve fields, low lying bodies or oppose hill cutting. The activists of Salcete have really awakened Goa”, explained Advocate Costa Frias.

But he points out that many times activists, especially beyond Salcete are caught up in small level local politics or fear for their jobs and livelihoods and hence back out or don’t fight land grab issues but are unable to bring a stay or fight it out in court.

Joao Philipe Pereira from the Village Groups Goa and Nagoa resident points out that Goa has seen many mega projects and illegal hill cutting or illegal landfilling of agriculture fields. But Salcete has united and managed to block quite a bit including the recent stalling of the Curtorim Hotel Project.

Zarina D’Cunha, the president of the VGG points out that the intention of the government is obviously pro-capitalist and pro-development at the cost of destroying Goa’s natural green beauty and it’s sad that voices of the people are suppressed and ignored and corporates get a nod for construction.

Similarly Varun Cavalho, noted musician and well known Radio Jockey Joed Almeida have started a campaign from South Goa called Turn the Tide to sensitize children to preserve our water bodies and save Goa from the land grab scenario.

Recent agitations by Rajeev Gomes to fight the corruption and lacklustre attitude of the Margao municipality towards garbage, Citizens for Sonsoddo where a group of like-minded people have stopped illegal dumping of garbage near Sonsoddo, the Civic and consumer forums of Colva and Navelim fighting for consumer rights of Xaxtikars are examples of Salcete’s residents always ready to agitate against anything illegal.