CANACONA: The much-awaited special gram sabha session of Loliem-Polem Village Panchayat, Canacona, on Sunday was adjourned in a huff by the sarpanch Bhushan Phrabhugaonkar. The voting process was postponed due to confusion over the number of voters.
When agitated villagers gheraoed the dais, the session was announced adjourned and the Sarpanch left under police cover said executive members of Loliem-Polem Citizens’ Committee.
Over 1,800 villagers attended the gram sabha session under the chairmanship of sarpanch Bhushan Phrabhugaonkar but things went awry and voting over the setting up of IIT in the village could not be conducted as only 510 people had signed the register, while the required number of signatories was 1200, which is complusory for voting.
Sources at site also informed that the car of the sarpanch was stoned by the villagers, while he was being taken away by the police.
More than 85 percent villagers at the special gram sabha opposed the proposed IIT at Loliem village. The session was attended by education secretary Nila Mohanan, IIT Director Dr Shivprasda, IIT Professor Dr Rodney Fernandes (a native From Agonda, Canacona) and other state officials.
Speaking on the occassion, education secretary said the said project would come up only after seeking clearance from the forest and environment department.
She further said we will construct two separate water tanks, one for IIT from central funds.
Water augmentation plans were being worked out by the concerned department and the villagers would benefit from the project, she assured.
Professor Fernandes said such a project is the need of hour in a place like Canacona to impart quality education.
IIT, Director Dr Shivprasad said not only garbage would be disposed of within the campus but even waste water would be treated and retreated and used like other IIT centres in the country with the help of IIT’s green experts.
A special gram sabha was held by Loliem VP, Canacona on Sunday called for by an application signed by over hundreds of villagers demanding to discuss the agriculture, animal husbandry, water resources, rural housing, forest resources and community assets of the village. Among other things, the issue to protect natural resources from imminent threats of concretisation and destruction was also on the agenda.
The Gram Sabha members of Loliem-Pollem Village Panchayat discussed Item VII, (1) of the Schedule – I of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, namely Rural Housing and distribution of house sites. The villagers observed that there’s very little land available for housing of the residents. They also expressed their fear over the speculation of land sharks venturing into the area with real estate projects for short-term profits.
It was agreed that the scarcity of land in the village for rural housing meant that any constructions for real estate or for others projects not related to rural housing, education or health of the residents of the Panchayat area, or other functions of the Panchayat listed under Schedule – I of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, would be unsustainable, unjust and against the interests of the village.
It was, therefore unanimously, decided by the villagers that all the plateaus of Loliem village, especially Bhagwati Moll, Tanshi, Kupa, Vaturem, Dapot and Maddi Tolop, be strictly conserved and protected and that no real estate or other construction projects be allowed on these plateaus at any cost.
At the gram sabha nearly 60 police personnel were present. At least 6 Balrath buses were pressed into service which ferried people favouring the project. The gram sabha had a rcord turnout of 1,800 people and the auditorium was full.
Several questions were raised by the villagers to the IIT delegates but they could not come out with satisfactory answers.
The chairman of Loliem Citizen Committe Denis Fernandes was reportedly not allowed to speak by the sarpanch despite his pleas.
After the sarpanch suddenly adjouned the meeting around 1.15 pm, he was greeted with jeers and people thronged the dais and he was taken out under police cover. Villagers felt cheated as he made a mockery of an important gram sabha for the second time in a row.
Irate villagers lashed out at him and warned that he should not take them for granted. Police Inspector Ravi Desai from Sanguem controlled the situation as the crowd kept swelling and especially when the villagers rushed to the stage towards the Sarpanch Bhushan Phrabhugaonkar.
Despite tense situation from the begining, the sarpanch controlled the situation by making it clear that the officials would only reply to the queries and no speeches would be allowed.
BIG Qs
(Asked by Loliem Citizens’ Committee members)
Q)Why do we need IIT?
A) No satisfactory answered received, only facts and figures of local census received; For example – How may people migrated? what is the status of water etc. That does not explain the need for an IIT
Q) For 800 people, why are you opening up such a massive project?
POINTS TO PONDER:
*Improve existing engineering college.
*Make it state of art govt-sponsored college
*Goa engineer college is in a shambles
*Goa medical college is crying for attention
*No good hospital facitlities in Canacona
* There is no state of art school in Canacona
* There is no state of art college in Canacona
* Expand and improve engineering and medical colleges, diploma college
Q) Will green plateaus turn into concrete jungles?
A) No guarantee yet
Q) Why would IIT take up projects of rejuvenating the collapsed water system ?.
A) That is primarily not the function of IIT. Students are here to study. They will move on. The water system, bio-diversity issues the state government’s responsibilities. Why are you transferring government responsibilities on to IIT? How does the village hold an educational institute accountable?
Q) Will there be reserved seats for our children?
Q) Can our Children study in IIT ?
A) Having an IIT in our area does not ensure any of these
Q) Water for the village?
A) In the current scenario, there is no water
Q) Will water flow through the pipeline if IIT comes?
Q) Why is water not coming for the common villagers now? Aren’t they the priority for the government?
Q) Will health facilities improve? How?
The Scenario:
currently, the hospital does not have up-to-date facilities.
Q) Are hospitals waiting for rich children to come to IIT?
