MARGAO: Against the dusty cloud of the much-opposed railway double-tracking project, there are families, from Majorda to Vasco and other parts of Goa who have deep roots with the land on which they live on and that have their ancestral houses, which have been their home for generations.
While on one side, these families face the daunting task of defending the right of ownership of their land with the railway authorities, on the other side they reminisce of the tales their forefathers told them, about the history, the beauty and the charm of their lands.
These sons of the soil have been put under various forms of hardships as they fight the land acquisition proceedings initiated by the South Western Railway (SWR) for the laying of the double railway track from Hospet-Hubli-Tinaighat-Vasco.
It has not been a fair battle as the opportunities given to these original land owners to protect their land from being snatched away, have been complicated and cumbersome.
The proceedings began in June 2021 when notices were issued to 103 survey numbers and here itself the complications began, as in many cases the notices were served to heirs of the land who were not traceable and there were technical issues with notices served to others.
Despite there being over 2,800 objections to these land acquisition proceedings, an ex-parte order was issued by the Mormugao Deputy Collector in May 2021 stating that the cases were disposed off. This happened even though multiple groups helping the affected families had informed the authorities about their inability to attend the hearings on short notice given the prevailing Covid pandemic and Cyclone Tauktae at that time.
A year later, the cat and mouse game between the landowners and the railway authorities continues as the Mormugao Deputy Collector, disposed of another five cases where objections had been put forward by five affected families on technical grounds.
But all of the affected families including these five and are set to continue to fight this in the High Court. They are waiting for the final copy of the order of the Deputy Collector based on which the next stage of their legal battle will begin.
This comes at a time when the protests against double-tracking that were being carried out on the streets of Goa have now been shifted to the area of the courts. Recently, the Railway Police chargesheeted four of the thousands of persons who had protested near the Chandor railway station against the double-tracking project. That case has been taken up by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Margao.
A common thread however amongst all the groups and families is that they have vowed to protect and prevent their land, come what may, from being taken over for the double-tracking project, which they believe is for the purpose of facilitating coal transportation through Goa. Their biggest hope lies with the Supreme Court that has reserved its judgment on the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to cancel the double tracking project in Goa.
