MARGAO: At a peaceful candlelight protest held on Sunday, Banalkarancho Ekvott reiterated its demand to construct the Western Bypass stretch in Benaulim on stilts or else it would destroy the village.
At a press briefing, Benaulim’s former sarpanch Royla Fernandes reiterated that only stilts will save Benaulim and added that they will keep their protests peaceful.
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Royla further informed that their future course of action would be filing a case in court against the work and added that they have already given time to the government to rollback their decision.
Former MLA Caetano Silva said, “The earlier demand was for 2.75-km road over stilts which was projected to cost nearly Rs 600 crore. However, the amount has been reduced now, which may cost Rs 200 crore. If that can save an entire village, it is surely worth it”.
As the then MLA, Silva said he had opposed the road filling activity in the Assembly.
“How can a highway be constructed on wetlands? There are places in the country where the works of the highway have been cancelled to save the wetlands,” Royla said.
“The government is favouring the capitalists. Why the local MLA didn’t cite the low lying area in Benaulim, when the Navelim Congress MLA managed to convince the government to having road over stilts over a lake in Navelim, Royla asked.
