Team Herald
MARGAO: The crisis in Velsao has escalated as residents now face threats to their centuries-old compound walls, with railway workers warning locals that they plan to demolish these structures to gain an additional two metres' space for construction. This new development comes as the Railways continue to dump material near homes under heavy police protection, despite ongoing disputes over land ownership.
"What is scary is the way they feel they can just take our land," said a concerned resident, pointing to the already heightened road level that has made it impossible for villagers to access their homes by vehicle. The situation has become particularly alarming for residents who fear the upcoming monsoon season, as the raised track height and destroyed drainage system threaten to flood their properties.
Velsao-Pale-Issorcim Panchayat Sarpanch Maria Diana Gouveia issued a strongly-worded letter to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), demanding the immediate removal of construction material dumped on village roads and in water channels. The letter specifically addresses the area on the western side of the existing railway track between chainage 97/17 and chainage 96/750, warning that villagers' anger is becoming increasingly difficult to contain.
"It appears to the ordinary Goan villager that the rule of law in the land does not exist anymore," says Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder of Goencho Ekvott (GE). "Senior citizens in the twilight of their lives watch helplessly as the land they tended for over six decades disappears under railway mud. They must even endure taunts from railway labourers who defiantly dump mud against boundary walls that are perhaps over four centuries old, while Goa Police personnel deployed for 'law & order' watch on, abetting these illegalities in broad daylight,” he added.
The panchayat's letter specifically notes that RVNL resumed work on February 11, despite a stop-work order issued on January 29, citing pending land title adjudication before the Inspector of Survey and Land Records (ISLR) Court in Margao. The construction has severely disrupted the motorable right of way that villagers have used for decades, which the panchayat describes as a "blatant violation of their human rights."
Residents are particularly concerned about water logging, citing last years’ experience when the destroyed drainage system caused severe problems. "What will happen when it rains this time? Water will simply gush in as the road and tracks are at a higher height and there is no drainage system either," a worried resident explained.