AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
In what is expected to snowball into a major agitation, over a thousand residents from eight villages across Sanvordem, Sanguem and Curchorem constituencies will converge at Azad Maidan in Panjim on Monday. The protestors have resolved not to return home until Chief Minister Pramod Sawant provides a written assurance scrapping the proposed barrage (bhandara) across the Zuari River near the Mirabag bridge.
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The proposed barrage across the Zuari River, which flows through Mirabag, Falnem, Pontemol, Soliya, Madel Dhadino, Mugloi and Taripanto, has deeply unsettled locals who say their livelihoods are under threat from infrastructure they believe will harm them.
“We have been protesting for 47 days and not once has any of our three MLAs visited us,” said Sushma Naik, president of the BJP women’s wing from Khopre village. “The people we elected are treating us like dirt. We will show them our power on Monday.”
A majority of houses in these villages are made of mud, and residents say they already struggle during the monsoon. “Water flows in during high tide and out during low tide. The WRD is still unable to explain what will happen to the tidal flow after the bhandara is built,” said Purvaja Naik, as she prepared to join fellow protestors near Mirabag bridge.
“My floor gets wet during the rains, and it becomes dangerous for my children to walk. Where will the water that comes in during high tide flow once the bhandara is built? The government has no property here — we have our homes. Are we to sacrifice them?” she asked.
The anger is compounded by a sense of betrayal, with all three constituencies represented by BJP MLAs. “Despite our trust in our elected representatives, it now appears we are being sold for four hundred crores — the estimated WRD cost of the barrage,” said Appa Naik, who spent a night in jail after protesting inside the Goa Legislative Assembly with pamphlets against the project. “Our own MLAs and government are ridiculing us.”
“We did what we had to do in the Assembly because we were not being heard,” added Upendra Naik, another protestor who was detained. “The government has not changed its stance, and we are not ready to change ours. This protest will continue until the Chief Minister gives us written assurance that the project is scrapped.”
Over the weekend, all eight villages saw heightened activity, with women coordinating travel and mobilisation plans for Monday’s march to Panjim. “I have locked my two children at home and am going out to make preparations for Monday. We will show them what it means to ignore us. I will take my kids with me to the protest site,” said Ashwini Vishnu Naik.
Residents point out that flooding is already a serious concern, with water levels rising enough to inundate temples, submerge heavy vehicles and reach the thresholds of many homes during heavy rains.
“They have decided to build a bhandara in areas declared low-lying. The WRD cannot be trusted,” said local resident Ramesh Naik, accusing the government of playing “hide and seek” over the project for the past three years.
The villages, connected by narrow tarred roads and surrounded by dense vegetation, largely depend on two-wheelers for transport, with livestock often slowing movement. Despite limited formal education among elders, the community’s resolve appears unwavering.
“We were shocked to learn that our panch, Sanjay Gurudas Naik, supported the project without informing us,” said Shripad Naik, displaying a copy of the panchayat NOC.
However, Sanjay Gurudas Naik offered a different version. “When I received the proposal from the WRD, the panchayat gave a provisional NOC and the project was dropped. The WRD later began work at another site without permission, and I objected and got it stopped. This time too, the panchayat has written to the Chief Minister and the WRD Minister expressing the sentiments of the people,” he said, sharing letters signed by Sarpanch Chanmayi Naik.
For residents of these villages, Monday’s march marks a decisive moment. “The government will realise that this is beyond ‘enough is enough’,” said Vaishnavi Desai. “They cannot silence the voices of the people who brought them to power. We will bring them down the same way we brought them up.”
