Team Herald
SANGUEM: In a bid to refute Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai’s frequent claims that there are no plantations or agricultural activity taking place on the land allotted for the proposed IIT project, the farmers of Cotarli on Friday led a group of local media persons to show them the existing plantations in Survey no 21/1 and 21/2 of the village.
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While the property under Survey no 21/1 of Cotarli village is in the name of the Government of Goa, some farmers have encroached into a portion of this property and have their fully grown plantation of fruit and non-fruit bearing trees in this property. Some of the farmers however do not have their names included in the survey records, but have been in exclusive possession of the fertile swathes of land, and cultivated them for several generations.
“The cashew plantations, coconut and other fruit-bearing trees are proof of the existence of the plantation in the area for decades together,” said Milton Fernandes. “It is an irony that Phaldessai’s eyesight is so bad that he can’t see these fully-grown trees here,” he remarked.
The farmers pointed out that the MLA had rallied behind the villagers the previous day after they blocked the roads protesting a local youth’s death due to a heavy vehicle allegedly belonging to a multinational soft drink factory in the area, and had also offered to stop production at the factory until their demands are met. “Why not extend this same support and shift the IIT elsewhere? We have been protesting for this cause for months now,” said Joseph Fernandes, adding that they would never let go of their pristine farmlands, which are home to many species of animals and plants.
