AAP MLA Capt Venzy Viegas, activist Diana D’Silva, Abhijit Prabudesai, and others involved in the Arossim Double Tracking and Kolsso Naka protests attended a hearing at the Margão District Court on Thursday. However, the case was postponed for final hearing until June.
A local resident expressed frustration, saying, "We have had to visit the court over 100 times in the past three years regarding the coal and double tracking issues. Yet, the government prosecutor have never shown up." The resident further accused the government of harassing individuals fighting to protect Goa. The court has now given the last and final opportunity to the Government Prosecutor to appear in court, on the hearing scheduled for June 17, 2025
Despite Supreme Court orders halting coal transportation through Goa, critics argue that the state government is pushing ahead with initiatives that threaten the environment. The local said, "The government is out to destroy the state, but the people of Goa are united and will triumph over this destructive initiative."
Capt Venzy Viegas echoed similar sentiments, stating that the people of Goa are fed up with the government and the way it is undermining democracy in the state. He reiterated that the protests against coal transportation and double tracking would continue unabated, promising that the people would not back down.