MARGAO: During the inspection of the railway works in Mollo held on Wednesday, it was brought to light that the house of a traditional toddy tapper’s family in Pale is facing the risk of being demolished, as it is near the railway track.
In view of the proposed doubling of the railway tracks, the Sequeira family have already been issued warnings by the Railway
officials.
What’s worse is that there exists a distillery in the premises, that is over 110 years old and while it has been closed for the last 15 years, the family still has the license to run it if they choose to revive it.
However, this distillery would also have to be demolished if the double tracking work proceeds.
Camilo Sequeira, one of the brothers of the family pointed out that the house and distillery already faces issues with the existing track due to the intense vibrations caused by the passing trains.
Locals further pointed out that the house and distillery is threatened by the flood waters during high tide as a consequence of the closure of the creek using sandbags by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).
Locals also gave the example of other villagers who have traditional occupations, and have lived in the village for generations and are now facing the imminent threat of their houses being demolished and their livelihoods being destroyed.
