MARGAO: Loutolim farmers have said that compensation for land acquired for the Missing Link road has not been paid even after four years. Additionally, their fields remain fallow since the mud dumped in the fields for the service road, which was built to erect the pillars, has not been cleared despite years of pleading with the authorities.
“Even when the Missing Link (to Verna) was built we gave our fields, without any opposition. Till today, we have not been paid a single paisa,” Albert Pinheiro, President of the farmers’ association told O Heraldo.
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He told the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway officials, “We don’t want a bridge on stilts. I have given my field for the Missing Link Road. For the last four years, they have not removed the red mud dumped in my field, which was used as a service road to build the stilts. My field has been destroyed and cannot be restored,” he rued.
“There are about 300 to 400 farmers depending on this khazan, if it is taken away for constructing a bridge, we will all die,” he added. The farmers met the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways officials, who were sent by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to understand this. They explained to the officials that khazans are only native to Kerala, Mumbai and Goa and that no construction can be done on them as per CRZ norms.
They elucidated to officials that even if the bridge is built on stilts, the service road will destroy their khazans forever. Even if 30,000 sqm land is taken for bridge construction, the entire khazan of four lakh square metres will be destroyed, they said.
“We are hoping for a positive outcome, but we will never leave our fields. All the people have come here, men, women, children, even this 99-year-old man. They love their farms. We don’t want money. These fields have been given by our ancestors and we want to give them to the next generation. The life of the old Borim Bridge is another 20 years and Rs 20 crores has been sanctioned for its repair,” Pinheiro said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said at BJP’s State Executive meeting without land and forest clearance we cannot go ahead with projects. “The most important issue is related with land acquisition and land and forest clearance. Without getting land and clearance from land and forest, we cannot make the road,” Gadkari said.
