Team Herald
VELSAO: The State government and railway authorities were taken by surprise when hundreds of people arrived for the site inspection that had been fixed for Friday morning at Velsao, only for the Mormugao Deputy Collector Ravishankar Nipanikar failing to keep to his word and not showing up for the inspection, which he had only scheduled.
Officials of the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the agency carrying out the double tracking work for South Western Railway (SWR) also did not turn up.
Goencho Ekvott (GE) along with the village Panchayat of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim and large number of villagers from Velsao and Cansaulim had assembled at the site of the alleged illegal encroachment carried out by RVNL at Primeiro Vaddo based on the assurance of the Mormugao Deputy Collector, to inspect the alleged criminal trespass by RVNL of private landholdings in the area at 11 am.
However, despite numerous calls by the villagers, Sarpanch, Quepem MLA Altone Da Costa among others, the Deputy Collector did not turn up claiming he was at a meeting and the office staff he promised to send instead, did not turn up either.
Furious villagers then raised slogans against RVNL and the deputy collector and thereafter, around 1:30 pm they marched towards the northern part of Velsao, Dando where a tributary of the river Sal has been backfilled and an embankment is currently being constructed allegedly illegally.
There was late drama throughout the afternoon, when the locals and police had verbal clashes after some people tried filling up the trenches. The police objected to it and threatened to arrest those doing it.
However, the tense situation de-escalated after an informal agreement was made between the police and the locals being represented by the Quepem Congress MLA that no work would be done by the railways and the locals won’t try to physically fill the trenches until the next meeting occurs between the authorities and affected land owners.
The Mormugao Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Salim Sheikh tried to hold a meeting at the Verna Police Station with the Verna Police Inspector Diogo Gracias and RVNL. But the locals refused and said any future meeting should take place at the site, where inspection will be held to assess the damage done to the private properties.
“The Mormugao Deputy collector did not arrive at the site as he is very well aware that RVNL has no ownership title of the land nor a work order to carry out construction activities in Velsao panchayat’s jurisdiction,” said Orville Dourado Rodrigues, GE founder.
GE Joint Secretary Olencio Simoes demanded that the concerned authorities should not allow RVNL to carry out any construction activity in the area as the Supreme Court has struck down the Doubling of the SWR track and has instructed to shift the coal transportation through Krishnapattnam port on the East Coast of India.
GE demanded that unless joint site inspection is carried out with the concerned departments along with RVNL and the local landowners, a total status quo is to be maintained failing which law and order could arise in the villages along the coast. The locals finally dispersed after 3 pm based on this agreement.
Former Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha also criticised the authorities for thinking they can waste the people’s time given that the Dy Collector had not shown up for the site inspection.
When the Dy SP said they had not called for such a big crowd, Saldanha said the people themselves had come forward out of the interest of protecting the village.
The Quepem MLA D’Costa also criticised the Mormugao Dy Collector for not fulfilling his responsibility and said they had all gathered there as Niz Goemkars and not based on their political affiliations. He also questioned who is benefiting from the railway track expansion at the cost of the locals.
The Velsao Sarpanch Maria Diana Goveia, said the panchayat is with the people and will continue to support the fight to protect the village from the double track work and the encroachments of private properties.
Locals added that they had stayed for hours as part of their commitment to save the village and they know how they have been suffering and the environment of the village has been getting destroyed due to the double-tracking work.
