MARGAO: Condemning the ongoing land acquisition proceedings aimed at constructing NH 17-B through their village and Borim, Loutolim villagers on Saturday called upon the government to adhere to environmental regulations before proceeding with the project.
The villagers emphasised the importance of obtaining permissions under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, the Forest Conservation Act, and the Environment Impact Assessment notification. They stressed that compliance with these regulations is essential to safeguard the environment and ensure sustainable development.
The villagers warned the PWD officials not to misuse their powers to please the coal lobby, and that any attempt to interfere with the khazans of Loutolim and the lives of the local farmers without obtaining proper environmental clearances will not be allowed at any cost.
Addressing mediapersons, Xavier Fernandes, former sarpanch and social activist, stated that the villagers of Loutolim and Borim are enraged with PWD officials’ recent attempts to commence a survey and demarcation of their land without any respect to the law/people.
The villagers pointed out that it has been clearly decided by the Supreme Court in the P V Krishnamoorthy case that unless all environmental clearances are first obtained, the acquiring department cannot interfere with the people’s possession of lands.
“PWD is arrogantly refusing to even acknowledge the existence of the khazans or forests, or the applicability of these three laws. Further, the hearings of the hundreds of objections filed by the villagers before the Land Acquisition Officer have not been decided, yet the PWD officers have commenced the survey and demarcation work on the false basis that all the objections of the villagers have been dismissed,” Xavier informed.
He said that the approval letter from the Chief Engineer (NH, R & B), PWD to the Chief Engineer (P-6), MORTH dated May 4, 2017, states that Mormugao Port is the ‘priority’, “indicating that our government has scant regard to the local communities and their transportation needs, and is willing to sacrifice Goa for the greed of coal corporations”.
“The Government’s own documents also reveal that the NH 17-B construction will not only displace over 4,000 members of indigenous communities of Loutolim and Borim, but will also displace all the fishers around Vasco town, endanger the health of Vasco residents, and open up all the khazans of Zuarı, Cumbharjua and Mandovi rivers for coal storage and transportation, destroying scores of villages, displacing indigenous communities in other parts of Goa, and permanently erasing our ancient culture and civilisation,” said Xavier.
