Amid growing concerns over a spate of fresh development proposals, residents of Loliem and Poinguinim on Friday strongly condemned what they described as ‘blatantly illegal and desperate attempts’ by their respective comunidades to sell off large tracts of plateau land to private and commercial interests.
While addressing the media in Margao, the villagers warned that such moves threaten to destroy ecologically fragile landscapes that their survival depends on, and vowed to escalate their resistance if needed.
Alleging that both comunidades were pushing multiple land allotment proposals in “unholy haste,” the villagers said the latest applications are being processed in complete defiance of gram sabha resolutions adopted by the two villages, which categorically mandate conservation of the plateaus. These resolutions, they pointed out, are now “the Law of the Land” and legally binding.
Among the most contentious of the proposals is a set of eight applications submitted under the name of Mallikarjun Multifruits Processing and Producer Co Ltd., linked to the local MLA, for a total of one lakh square metres on the Madditolop plateau in Loliem. These are expected to be tabled for approval at the Loliem Comunidade’s upcoming general body meeting on July 6.
The residents also raised the alarm over additional proposals for a massive solar plant, highway amenities for tourists, a cricket ground, a Sainik School, and even a revenue-generating building for the comunidade itself—all of which they said show contempt for both the environment and the will of the people.
In Poinguinim, they highlighted an application to construct a road across the Kulti plateau to provide access to a private individual’s steep land parcel, even though that property already has connectivity from the main village road. The villagers claimed comunidade records reveal that the road is, in fact, being sought by comunidade members themselves, to make way for future sales of plateau land.
“These lands are not empty or idle—they are our source of water, pasture for cattle, a haven for biodiversity, and the origin of our forest produce,” a resident said. The villagers underscored that they possess both scientific and practical knowledge of the plateaus’ unique environmental functions and emphasised their “precarious existence and complete dependence” on them.
“If the plateaus go, the villages won’t survive,” one villager warned. They clarified that their protest is not merely emotional—it is firmly rooted in a deep understanding of the plateaus’ environmental sensitivity and their community’s long-standing reliance on them for essential resources and services.
They recalled that the communities of Loliem and Poinguinim have resisted repeated efforts to exploit the plateaus since 2006—fending off proposals for an IIT campus, an industrial estate, four major eco-tourism projects, and the carving out of sub-divided plots for private use.
Having already petitioned both the authorities and the comunidades to halt the current proposals, the villagers said they hope that “sense will prevail over greed.” However, they made it clear that they are prepared to take the struggle “to whatever levels necessary” to ensure the long-term conservation of the plateaus and the survival of their villages.
Eight applications under the name of Mallikarjun Multifruits Processing and Producer Co Ltd. linked to MLA have been submitted for over one lakh square metres on Madditolop plateau
Residents warn proposals for a solar plant, highway amenities, cricket ground, and Sainik School—pose threat to the fragile environment
In Poinguinim, a road project across the Kulti plateau is being pushed to provide access to a private plot
Villagers emphasise plateaus are vital for water, grazing, biodiversity, and forest produce