VASCO: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant along with Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha on Thursday afternoon inspected the existing railway track to get first hand information on the proximity between the track and the heritage houses of Pale, Velsao and Cansaulim.
However, members of the civil society not invited for the inspection.
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In a telephonic conversation with Herald, Alina said, “This inspection was called and kept low key on the request of the Chief Minister. Therefore not many were aware of this inspection.”
She said, “The Chief Minister personally visited the site where the existing railway track is passing and to my understanding the Chief Minister was taken aback seeing the close proximity of the tracks”.
The MLA said, “I have high hopes from the Chief Minister that he will listen to the plea of the people who are against double tracking.”
Orville Dourado Rodrigues of Villagers Action Committee Against Double Tracking (VACAD) said he was unaware of the inspection/Chief Minister’s visit to Cansaulim.
“I got to know about this visit from a villager, who noticed the local MLA and Chief Minister inspecting the railway track,” Orville said.
“I was totally unaware of the Chief Minister and MLA Saldanha’s visit to inspect the railway track. We were not intimated about this visit nor were taken into confidence by the local MLA. Civil society members have been pursuing this double tracking matter since its inception and the local MLA should have informed us about this meeting which she didn’t. Right now I am blank about this development. I fail to understand her (Saldanha’s) stand on the double tracking issue,” Creson Antao of Goencho Ekvott said.
