VELSAO: Local residents of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim village remained on high alert on Tuesday, a day after they protested the act of the Railway authorities who allegedly encroached upon a private property and carried out construction work.
While no such work was carried out on Tuesday, the locals lamented that on Monday, wet concrete was poured in the private property, which would have settled by now. There has also been a demand by the owners and the locals that the encroached area be restored, whereas the Velsao Panchayat is following up on its show-cause notice.
The locals are bracing up to take their fight to protect their lands to all levels
In the past, there have been similar incidents that have occurred in the other parts of the village, where private property has been allegedly encroached upon or the public right of way has been blocked by the construction work of the Railways. Locals questioned the State authorities as to why the Mormugao Deputy Collector’s office is not responding to their pleas.
They pointed out that multiple complaints and memorandums had been submitted to the Deputy Collector’s office, which included a demand for the immediate stopping of double tracking work going on in Velsao village.
When mediapersons questioned what work Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the agency is carrying out for the double tracking for South Western Railway (SWR), the officials declined to comment.
However, it is pertinent to note that the area where RVNL is carrying out the work is on the side of the railway track which is 2.5 metres above the ground.
Sources informed that the railway workers are creating an embankment and then backfilling these areas so as to raise it to a height of two metres.
Sources said a retaining wall would be built later. Similar type of backfilling work and construction of retaining wall thereafter can be seen in other parts of Goa such as Chandor where double tracking work is also underway.
“Please note that this area, be it the private properties or the public area does not belong to the Railways. We have been asking the Railways to show the documents to show their claim on the land. Moreover, the land acquisition proceedings are for the western side of the railway track but these areas are on the eastern side of the railway track,” said Orville Dourado Rodrigues, Goencho Ekvott founder member.
Incidentally, there were major protests in Arossim recently where the Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim (CAC) Panchayat members had intervened as concerns were raised about the heritage structure of St Lawrence Chapel and land adjoining it.
The locals were upset over the manner in which the Railways contractor had executed underground cabling works through private, comunidade and Fabrica properties.
The locals had pointed to the destruction of century-old storm water drains, which flow towards water bodies on either side of the existing single railway track. In its place, concrete troughs have been laid purportedly to lay the armoured cables.
