Team Herald
PONDA: Tense situation gripped Ganjem-Usgao on Wednesday, after police arrested 23 locals for obstructing the construction of a 4G Reliance Jio tower near Ambeshi-Ganjem Bridge in the village.
The villagers have been strongly opposing construction of the tower, since the time they learnt of its proposal, a year ago.
As the locals gathered at the site to oppose the work and protest against the construction of tower at around 1.30 pm, police reached the place and arrested 23 locals including 11 women. The arrest of the locals caused agitation among the villagers who rushed to Ponda police station demanding the release of the arrested villagers.
The villagers say that they are opposing the construction of the tower as the same is done on the pathway by which the annual palkhim procession of local deity Shantadurga Ganjeshwari is taken through.
It is learnt that the PWD superintendent engineer had given an NOC for construction of the 4G mobile tower on PWD land near Ambeshi-Gajemb bridge. Besides, the Usgao Panchayat has also given its NOC for the tower.
Questioning the authority of Usgao panchayat and PWD to grant NOC, locals said it is not the land of PWD but private one and that no National Highway was passing from said area.
When asked under what provisions of law he arrested 23 villagers, Ponda Police Inspector Harish Madcaikar said that he arrested the villagers as a preventive measure on the order of deputy collector.
Later, the workers began the work on mobile tower with police protection.
A local Vijay Gaonkar said that the villagers were arrested from a private property, whereas the PWD’s NOC for its land along national highway. However, he said, the PWD has no land in Ganjem.
Further, he said, the panchayat has given NOC for the mobile tower without mentioning the survey number.
“The locals were peacefully protesting at the site of mobile tower construction. And when the villagers demand the company officials to produce documents of approval such as site plan and Pollution Control Board certificate, instead of producing the documents, the police arrested the locals without hearing to their grievance,” he complained.
“This is dictatorship,” he decried.
