Team Herald

SANGUEM: The farmers from Sanguem and Nagvem ward of Molcornem panchayat strongly opposed the government plans to set up the IIT projects in Sanguem taluka.

At a meet held at Orcotto Sanguem, the farmers who attended the meeting in large numbers demanded immediate scrapping of the project proposed on agriculture land at Sanguem. The farmers at the meet criticised the government for not taking the farmers into confidence before finalising the IIT project on the agricultural land and on a hillock at Sanguem.

At the meeting, the President of Kiragal Pani Vantop Vyavastha Constancio Mascarenhas held the government responsible for some portion of the land now proposed to be acquired for the project for lying fallow as of date.

Mascarenhas claimed that a couple of years ago, the government had assured to assist the farmers in putting a fence across the fallow paddy fields so that the land could be brought under cultivation. However, the government did not give the assistance resulting into a portion of the land to remaining fallow, he said.

Mascarenhas added that under no circumstances, the farmers in Sanguem would permit the setting up of the project in Sanguem.

Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar who was at the receiving end from the farmers assured to rally behind the farmers. Gaonkar informed the farmers that he had only supported the project with the sole intention that it would generate employment avenues to 400-500 people from the locality in the clerical cadre. The farmers were however in a no mood to listen to the MLA’s talks and demanded that the project be scrapped from coming up at Sanguem.

Gaonkar assured the farmers of his full support and urged the farmers to give him time till the end of the upcoming assembly session.

Jeentendra Naik urged the MLA not to concede to the government’s demand of setting up the project in Sanguem and instead the land presently proposed for the IIT project could be saved for future use. Naik claimed that we cannot spare such a vast land for the sake of one project which in no way would benefit the locals. 

Ian D’Costa spoke on the effects the project would have on the environment in Sanguem. The project will spell a doom for agriculture and the spring which flows in the locality.

The meeting was attended by over 400 farmers from Sanguem and Quepem.